One of my more inspiring early visits came Sunday evening with the Kopitchenitzer Rebbe in the Haredi Jerusalem neighborhood (not far from Me’ah She’arim) of Ezrat Torah. Susannah Heschel had made for me the shidduch with her cousin – an esteemed Hassidic figure whom I had arranged to meet for a few minutes following Maariv. I had imagined a friendly greeting and 5-10 minutes of pleasantries, after which I’d be off and on my way. Instead to my delight and ineffable nourishment, the Kopichenitzer kept me for some three hours – just the two of us – sharing, learning, listening to his stories of how much he revered Professor Heschel.
His humility, warmth, and genuine interest the ebb and flow of my rabbinate touched me deeply. We pondered together the most compelling dimensions of Heschel’s work – an individual’s capacity to impact God in life’s supreme relationship. He shared a mystical thought that resonated powerfully. When we do good deeds, we materially sustain (m’farnes) God. Emphasis is placed on material (rather than spiritual) sustenance to suggest something much deeper for God than spiritual dilation. Perhaps the most salient epiphany for me related to the worthiness of my establishing a weekly text teaching at KI.
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