45) WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STUDENTS?

Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vurka and the Kotzker Rebbe have an interesting debate over whether or not a teacher is responsible for the behavior of the students.

According to the Vurka; “The teacher is responsible and has to give an accounting for every student that passes through his hands. The weight of responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of the teacher to guide the students correctly.”

The Kotzker took a different view; “As long as the teacher obeys the proper teaching protocol and does his best to nurture the students in the ways of Torah ...he is not answerable for their behavior.”[1]

This deliberation may reflect the different approaches of an idealist and a pragmatist.

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[1] Amud HaEmet p.69, par 4.

44) YOU DECIDE!

The Torah says; “This is the law (Torah) of the elevation-offering and the meal offering - the sin-offering and the guilt-offering.”[1]

The Kotzker Rebbe interprets this verse as follows; “An individual can find within the Torah (whatever he or she wishes to find) - either (something positive like) an ‘elevation’ or (something negative like) ‘sin or guilt.'”.[2]

The Torah is not an automatic antidote to all the evils and discomfort of the world. Nor is it a short cut to becoming a holy person. In fact, while it can make a good person better, it can also make a bad person worse. 

As the sages say; - To one person the Torah can be uplifting and healing, while to another it can be as damaging as poison.

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[1] Vayikra 7:37

[2] Amud HaEmet p. 69, par 3

36) Sometimes The Yetzer Hora Is The Beis HaMedrash:

The Kotzker Rebbe explained that the evil inclination is very devious. It doesn’t only try persuade us to commit sins. It also sometimes persuades us do to mitzvos, but for the wrong reasons.

It requires acute spiritual and psychological awareness to recognize the latter[1]. This is because religion is often a great mask, preventing us from dealing with deeper problems lurking within.

The Kotzker Rebbe once met a student in the Beis HaMedrash (study hall) and asked him what he was thinking. The student responded that he was thinking about this exact concept; - to which the master responded; “Good on you”.[2]

Kotzk was known to acknowledge the great irony that acts of religious piety are often rooted in spiritual pathology.

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[1] This is based on a typical Kotzk technique of re-reading verses of the Torah. Thus ‘Im bamachteret yimatzei haganav’(Shemot 22:1) does not read; ‘If while tunneling (into a house in order to steal) the thief is found. Rather a comma is inserted after ‘bamachteret’, and the verse reads; ‘If one searchers diligently, one will find the thief (yetzer hara)’.

[2] Amud HaEmet p. 56 par. 4

3) Torah Study has Nothing to do with Torah Study:

Unlike all other types of literature, the QUALITY of Torah learning is not predicated upon the QUANTITY of knowledge one has acquired. Surprisingly, the QUALITY of Torah study is determined by something that has absolutely nothing to do with intellectualism, namely; derech eretz (descent and appropriate behaviour).

The Kotzker says: “The statement ’Derech eretz precedes (kadmah la) Torah’ implies that just like a prologue to a book (which in Hebrew is called a hakdamah), informs a reader as to the contents of the book, so too does derech eretz inform the observer as to the quality of Torah learning the individual has achieved.” [1]

In essence then, Torah study has nothing to do with just Torah study.

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[1] Amud HaEmet p.14 par.4

1) Torah Cannot Create Good Character Traits:

The Mishna in Pirkei Avot teaches: “Delve into it (the Torah), delve into it, for you will not find anything better (midah tovah) than it.[1]

This famous teaching is generally understood as encouraging the student to dedicate him or herself to in-depth Torah study as everything can be found within Torah.

In Kotzk they understood this Mishna very differently:

“A person can delve deeply and turn to every page of the Torah and yet nevertheless will not automatically acquire a single good character trait from it.”[2]

All the Torah study in the world will not make you a better person.

It’s only the person him or herself that can acquire good character traits for themselves.

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[1] “Pirkei Avot ch. 5

[2] Kochav HaShachar p. 119 par.5