Tzadok Learns About Rebbes

It was a quiet afternoon in the Yarkesei Tzafon seforim store. The unmistakable smell of new seforim permeated the shop, and the owner was busy rearranging the shelves and answering customers’ questions.

Suddenly a loud squeaking sound filled the small store as Tzadok Hatzadik entered, pushing a large shopping cart and hurriedly picking up seforim off of the shelves and placing them in his cart.

“Sorry, I need a lot of seforim,” Tzadok said to the customers trying to get by, as he continued to add more and more seforim to his cart.

“It sure looks like that,” said the store owner, looking up. “But I think your cart is too big for my little store. Why don’t you give me the list of what you need and I’ll have it delivered tomorrow?”

“No, that won’t work,” Tzadok said, balancing a chosson Shas on top of his growing pile. “I need them right away!”

“Right away?” came a familiar voice from the entrance. “Tzadok, what is the emergency?”

“Oh Rebbe!” Tzadok cried with a huge smile as he noticed Rav Volender, the Rov of the Jerusalem Prison, standing by the door. “I’m so happy to see you! You’ll be pleased to hear that I won’t be bothering you anymore with my questions, now that I’ll have kol hatorah kulah on my shelves!”

“Bother me? It doesn’t bother me that you ask me questions. And now that you’ve been keeping out of trouble, it’s nice to see you without a prison uniform on.”

“Well at least now I won’t have to schlep to the prison to ask you sheilos,” Tzadok said. “I can just open a sefer and find the answer myself.”

“And what if you don’t know in which sefer to look?” asked Rav Volender.

“Well then I can just ask Yankel, the little boy who lives upstairs from me. He already finished the whole Mesichta Megillah!”

“Tzadok,” said Rav Volender gently. “You are blocking all of the customers with your massive shopping cart. Here, let’s put these seforim back on the shelves and we’ll talk outside.”

“But I came to buy seforim!” complained Tzadok.

“Here,” Rav Volender said, taking a two-volume set off a nearby shelf. “Why don’t you start with this? I promise it’s enough for now.”

“Chovos Halevavos?” Tzadok said, reading the cover. “What’s it about?”

“I promise you’ll find it useful. Come, we need to talk.”

Tzadok paid for the Chovos Halevavos and pushed his now-empty cart out of the store, followed by Rav Volender.

“Tzadok,” repeated Rav Volender. “In this week’s Parsha, we find a possuk that says ‘וְהוּבָא אֶל אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן – a person with tzoraas should be brought to Aharon HaKohen אוֹ אֶל אַחַד מִבָּנָיו הַכֹּהַנִים or one of his sons the Kohanim’. Now, the Torah could have just said to go to one of Aharon’s sons. But instead it mentions Aharon first.”

“Oh so you’re saying it’s better to ask sheilos to an adult?” asked Tzadok.

“No, no, Aharon’s sons were adults and huge talmidei chachomim. The Torah is teaching us the importance of going to the biggest Torah authority available when we have questions.”

“But maybe that’s just when it comes to tzoraas, since they didn’t have a lot of seforim back then.” Tzadok reasoned. “Nowadays they could just look it up.”

“No, Tzadok, you’re not understanding. Hashem didn’t give us talmidei chachomim because we have sheilos. Hashem makes us have sheilos so that we can get used to asking questions to talmidei chachomim. And not just halachic questions – every important decision in your life should be discussed with daas Torah – the biggest talmid chochom you can find.”

“Well you’re definitely the biggest talmid chochom I know, but what if it’s something simple, like which elephant to buy?”

“You’re buying an elephant???” Rav Volender asked in shock.

“I already did!” said Tzadok excitedly. “He’s called ‘Eli the Elephant’ and I’m going to ride him to shul every day!”

“Um, you definitely should have asked me before doing that,” Rav Volender said. “As Torah Yidden we are supposed to live every aspect of our lives according to the Torah, not just when we have a question about whether a pot is kosher. Whether it’s a big purchase, or a decision about which neighborhood to live in, everything we do affects our lives and avodas Hashem.”

“Wow, I never knew that,” Tzadok said. “So please tell me, Rebbi, what should I do now about the elephant?”

And with that, Rav Volender walked Tzadok home, discussing the best way to get rid of the elephant and the more productive things he should do with his time and money.

Have A Wonderful Shabbos!

Takeaway: We have to appreciate the talmidei chachomim we have. The greater the talmid chochom, the more we should try to get close to him.