Rabbi Shaul Alter Visits Chabad Yeshiva in Baltimore
During a visit to the Tomchei Tmimim Chabad Yeshiva in Baltimore, Rabbi Shaul Alter, Rosh Yeshiva of the Ger Hasidic community, delivered a thought-provoking message: “We must learn lessons in Avodas Hashem from everything—even from antisemites” • Full Story, Photos
Expounding on this idea, Rabbi Alter referenced the well-known slogan used by Israel’s enemies, “From the river to the sea,” and reframed it in a spiritual context. “They claim we must surrender all of Eretz Yisrael, G-d forbid, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. But we must apply this in a positive sense—spreading holiness and Torah. The sea represents the wicked, as the Pasuk states, ‘The wicked are like the stormy sea,’ while the river symbolizes the forefathers. Our mission is to expand the boundaries of holiness, from the source of our faith to the farthest reaches of the world.”
A Historic Story About Tanya Learning in Kol Torah
During his visit, Rabbi Alter was welcomed by Rabbi Moshe Zalbitzitzky, Rosh Mesivta of the yeshiva, who shared a remarkable story about his father, Reb Shabtai Zalbitzitzky, and the Beis Yisrael of Ger—whose yahrzeit was observed that very day, 2 Adar.
His father, who studied at Kol Torah Yeshiva, was part of a group that secretly learned Tanya with Rabbi Yosef Segal in the Amshinov Beis Medrash near the yeshiva. One day, the Beis Yisrael noticed their clandestine study and asked why they weren’t learning openly in the yeshiva. When they expressed fear of opposition, he famously responded: “They aren’t afraid of the ‘red papers’ (secular newspapers), but they’re afraid of the Tanya?!”
The next day, the students were summoned to the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, who unexpectedly inquired why they weren’t learning in the yeshiva itself. From that moment on, the Tanya shiur was officially moved into a classroom within Kol Torah.
Engaging in Talmudic Debate
During the visit, Rabbi Alter also discovered that the yeshiva students had recently been deeply engaged in analyzing the complex Talmudic principle of Migo, based on a well-known debate between himself and Rabbi Meir Mordechai Shafran, Rosh Yeshiva of Pnei Menachem. This discussion, which was published in Dvar Emes in 5781 (2021), had sparked widespread analysis in the Torah world.
In response, Rabbi Alter quipped with a smile: “Here, it’s ‘Free Country’—you can argue any side you like!”
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