Passing Rav Avigdor Miller’s message to the next generation

Elisheva Braun

From the mid-20th century pulpits of Massachusetts and East Flatbush, Rav Avigdor Miller’s uncompromising and revelatory Torah resounded. Today, a vastly different audience finds itself moved by Rav Avigdor’s timeless message. A quarter century since his petirah, Rav Miller’s teachings continue to inspire, educate, and uplift. As a generation of posthumous talmidim emerges, his words are explored and expounded upon anew. Rabbi Yehuda Schonfeld is one such a student.

Seeds of inspiration

“Rav Avigdor Miller has been one of the strongest influences in my life,” Rabbi Schonfeld shares. “I grew up listening to his shiurim on the family tape recorder. My mother would play the Thursday night shiurim as she took care of my siblings and me. I didn’t recognize the rav’s greatness at the time, but years later, I reconnected with his shiurim and books. Rabbi Miller’s wisdom, fiery idealism, and courage in presenting the truth spoke to me as it does to many people in our generation. Most importantly, he laid out the hashkafos of Yiddishkeit like a modern-day Shulchan Aruch. He clarified our mesorah in a way that made such perfect sense. As a nation, we owe him so much. He answered so many of our questions.

“Of course, publishers such as Simchas Hachaim, Toras Avigdor, and Judaica Press get a lot of credit for spreading the phenomenal wealth of his wisdom.”

Growing up in Monsey, New York, Rabbi Schonfeld witnessed the living lessons that would profoundly shape his path in spreading Torah.

He recalls, “As a child, I watched my father, Rabbi Yacov Schonfeld, trek through deep snow to go to a far-away shul early Shabbos mornings to give a Daf Yomi shiur. Hours later, he’d return, perspiring from the long walk. My father worked so hard to support us, and when he wasn’t working, he was learning. My mother stood faithfully at his side. Together, they demonstrated real mesiras nefesh for Torah.”

When he was fifteen, Yehuda’s family relocated to Lakewood. He studied out of town, learning under Rabbi Yochanan Zweig in Miami, and Rabbi Binyamin Moskowitz and Rabbi Dov Zemel in Yerushalayim. Following a brief period in Flatbush after his marriage, the young couple returned to Lakewood. Currently, Yehuda spends his mornings in kollel. His afternoons are dedicated to writing.

Lightbulb moment

Several years ago, Rabbi Schonfeld listened to a shiur by Rav Miller called The Habit of Happiness, i. n which Rav Miller proves that Hashem wants every person to truly enjoy their life in Olam Hazeh. The shiur proved life-changing, opening his eyes to a world Rabbi Schonfeld had never known.

“Rav Miller’s vibrant words sailed out of my headphones, and the world began to sparkle. I listened to that shiur many times. After a while, I felt that I just had to share these ideas. I hope this book can reach every person in Klal Yisrael!

“We live in such a good world, yet the reality is that many people don’t feel it. This causes serious problems in avodas Hashem. Why? Think about it: If a person doesn’t enjoy his life, if his thoughts are constantly filled with worries and troubles, he surely won’t feel Hashem’s care and generosity toward him. Even if he serves Hashem, it can be from a feeling of compulsion, not a service of the heart.

But if a person learns to recognize how good the world is and takes the time to enjoy the many gifts Hashem gives him, then his service to Hashem will be completely transformed, fueled by feelings of thankfulness and love. He’ll want to give back to Hashem because he’ll feel that he receives so much from Hashem. It’s a completely different life; a life of loyalty to one’s Benefactor. That’s one of the reasons why it’s crucial to enjoy what Hashem gives us.”

Perhaps worse than those who don’t see the goodness around them are those who see a beautiful world full of pleasures, but wrongly believe that Hashem forbade them from enjoying it.

“This is a tragic mistake that can lead to resentment, guilt, and other problems. The truth is, the Torah isn’t here to take away our happiness in this world, it’s here to give us happiness! Hashem wants you to enjoy Olam Hazeh within the framework of the Torah. If a person wasn’t taught this in school, he needs to learn it now. It would be an awful tragedy to go through life without understanding this. That’s exactly what motivated me to write the book: to present this concept with clarity and inspiration.

“I chose to divide the book into two parts. Part one addresses why enjoying life is so important and part two discusses many of the wonderful, enjoyable things in our world that we barely think about—or were never even aware of. I also included many spectacular full-page photos which highlight the beauty and wonder of this world.

Putting pen to paper

“Writing a book is a life-changing experience because so much time must be spent working on the subject,” Rabbi Schonfeld shares. “It can be a long and challenging effort to write and rewrite the book, and the effect is that the writer really absorbs the message.

“This concept isn’t just for authors,” he adds, “it’s for all people. A person literally becomes the subject he learns most, which is why we spend our lives learning Torah. A man who learns Bava Kamma becomes saturated with personal responsibility. When he learns Bava Metzia, he becomes the kind of person who wouldn’t touch someone else’s money.”

It was a big undertaking, but Rabbi Schonfeld had support.

“One of the biggest challenges in writing the sefer wasn’t mine—it was my wife’s! It’s extremely difficult when a husband is busy and unavailable, and I’m so grateful that she supported me throughout the process. I surely couldn’t have done it without her help and encouragement.

“I’m so grateful to my father, who spent countless hours expertly helping me locate sources for the book and guiding me in many ways. I’m also so grateful to my mother who is a talented writer. She taught me a lot.”

Reframing

“People deal with so much stress and anxiety these days. They’re literally weighed down by their daily struggles. Everyone needs a lift,” Rabbi Schonfeld says. “Rav Miller’s perspective opened my eyes to a different world. Baruch Hashem, our lives are very good! It’s not fair to think badly of Hashem’s world when He gives us so much. It’s true that no one is exempt from challenges, but we must view things in perspective.

“That’s what makes this book so valuable. It can change a person’s entire perspective and make the world sparkle again. Even when things are truly difficult, a positive perspective will reveal the silver lining. I believe that when people read the book, they’ll experience this. Instead of anxious and worried, they’ll feel settled and content. When we learn to enjoy Hashem’s world, our problems diminish in significance, eclipsed by all the visible good in our lives. Of course, the goal is for it to bring us closer to Hashem, not to indulge for the sake of indulgence.”

As he was writing the book, Rabbi Schonfeld kept thinking of more and more enjoyable things about the world. “While writing the chapter on children, I thought about how children smile so often. It made me think of the Gemara that speaks about the value of receiving a smile.”

Here’s an excerpt from that chapter: In Kesubos (111b), Rabi Yochanan taught that smiling at someone is better than giving him milk to drink. Milk is a nourishing drink that can supply the body with energy and sustenance. But showing someone your white teeth—which means to give him a big smile—is far better than giving him milk, because a smile nourishes the soul of the recipient. It tells him that he has value. A smile can turn someone’s day from gloomy to happy. What does this have to do with children? Simple: A child is a smile bonanza! Babies begin to smile from a very young age, and they continue to do so with barely any encouragement for many years! Even difficult children will give their parents lots of big smiles. It really is amazing how much encouragement and happiness parents receive from every smile that their child gives them. It’s just one of the great benefits of having children.

“This is an example of a wonderful benefit that a person might never even think about. In today’s fast-paced, competitive world, a smile is more necessary than ever. If you have young children who smile at you regularly, that’s something to be treasured and enjoyed.”

Playing favorites

“One of my favorite chapters is chapter 4, which speaks about how Hashem showered brachah on Klal Yisrael throughout our history, including almost all of galus. Sadly (but not surprisingly), we’ve absorbed the false impression that our trek through galus has been nothing but misery. But that’s not true at all. Unfortunately, the suffering we’ve experienced has overshadowed the many years of happiness and prosperity we enjoyed throughout our national, global journey.” He received much positive feedback on chapter 4 from readers who were surprised to learn the truth about galus.

Another favorite is chapter 14, which is about learning to enjoy oneself. “A person can derive so much satisfaction from recognizing how valuable he/she is to those around them and the world in general. As we know, the yetzer hara works overtime trying to make us feel small and worthless, but the reality is that every person is immensely valuable and special.”

While you have it

How can people cultivate joy of life and appreciation for what they have?

Rabbi Miller’s solution is to think, “How would it feel to lose what I have?”

“In my chapter on marriage, I brought Rav Miller’s example of an elderly man who comes home at night to an empty apartment. He makes himself a tea and sits down at the table. As he drinks, he notices how quiet the apartment is and wistfully remembers his late wife. He misses her terribly and would give anything to have her back again. If he could only hear her voice again, it would be like music to his ears! But sadly, when she was alive, he didn’t appreciate her too much. He even complained about her and got annoyed at her chatter. Now he wishes he had her, but it’s too late. This is one of the most poignant pieces in the book, and it’s a perspective that can totally transform one’s marriage. Appreciate your spouse while you still have one! And the same goes for all your loved ones and possessions.”

Breaking news

The media’s perpetual reporting of disasters large and small is one of the biggest detractors from joy and peace of mind.

Rabbi Schonfeld explains, “People follow the news because it’s so stimulating. But think about this: News commentators spend 99 percent of the time talking about the 1 percent of bad things that happened or might happen but probably won’t happen. It’s a total distortion of reality and truthfully, lashon hara on Hashem, who constantly gives us so much good. Through reading my book, a person can start repairing this distorted perspective.

Next horizons

“I’m currently working on a book about emunah. Emunah is the foundation of Yiddishkeit, and it’s something that requires constant chizuk. My concept is that there are dozens of areas of life that, when studied, can strengthen one’s emunah. Observing various human traits, historical themes, inexplicable phenomena in nature, and the excellence of the Torah lifestyle are some of them. When they’re added up, it can reinforce one’s emunah in a powerful way.”

There are also several other projects Rabbi Schonfeld would like to tackle.

For example, “It’s brought down that the person Hashem loves most is the one who loves Klal Yisrael. So I want to write a book that helps people recognize how special Klal Yisrael is. Learning about our great nation will awaken a great love toward them. It’s not a hard sell. Klal Yisrael is beyond amazing. We can probably write an entire book just about the recent Adirei HaTorah event!

“In addition to books, I also have some other ideas. For example, I had the idea of a chinuch hotline dedicated to giving chizuk to parents. Raising children today can be unbelievably challenging, but there’s so much encouragement and energy that can be given over. I would focus on the greatness and glory of raising a Jewish child. If parents had an inkling of the grandness of raising a child, it would instantly make their job easier.

“Here’s another one: There are many retiring couples moving to Lakewood. I think it would be an excellent idea to establish an organization that pairs up retired mothers with young mothers who need help. A senior woman with decades of experience can provide so much advice and assistance to a younger mother who’s struggling with the challenges of raising a family. Think about what a difference it would make if she came over to help at bedtime twice a week. I think it could be a lifesaver. If anyone could make this idea a reality, it would be a tremendous achievement.”