Peres: Secret to My Long Life Was Bracha of Chofetz Chaim

20
>>Follow Matzav On Whatsapp!<<

It was a number of years ago, seven years ago to be exact, that Israeli President Shimon Peres paid a visit to the Wolf-Holtzer sukkah in Yerushalayim, where he revealed what he believed was the secret to his longevity.

“I got to meet the Chofetz Chaim,” related the then 86-year-old Peres, “and he blessed me that I’ll go on to greatness and live long.”

 

Peres reminisced about his childhood and spoke about his growing up in Poland, where his grandfather served as a chazzan during the Yomim Noraim.

From time to time, Peres mentioned the precious brachah that he received from the Chofetz Chaim. It meant a lot to him.

Interestingly, as Matzav previously reported, Peres’ grandfather, Rav Tzvi Meltzer, was a grandson of Rav Chaim Volozhiner. Rav Meltzer had a great impact on Peres’ life, as Peres grew up as a child in his grandfather’s home. His grandfather taught him Gemara, which wasn’t simple, since Peres’ own parents were not observant.

Peres once heard his parents listening to the radio on Shabbos and smashed it in protest.

{Matzav.com Israel News Bureau}


20 COMMENTS

  1. I can’t figure out why Matzav is making him sound like a yarei shomayim he was me are talmud ei chachamim from when was a young man in the … He was in charge of the Vaad jayesh ibis meeting with the Mir Rosh Yeshiva Rav Leizer Yudel Finkel zatzal and Rav Chatzkle abramsky and he the young politician sat with his feet up on his desk when the Rosner Yeshiva came to speak to them and he showed them no respect at all…..
    Maybe at the end of his life he was just a better politician and started talking about the Chofetz chaim etc…

  2. I understand that. But what is arichas yomim worth if one is not shomer Torah umitzvos? Let’s not get caught up in the moment. Not every “famous” personality should be looked at as a role model. No one is judging yenims nisyonos in life, but we as Torah observers have to go with Torah hashkafa not what some media website feeds us. He did great things for fellow Yidden and we owe him Hakaras hatov. I know Rav Ovadia ZT”L was macshiv him when he ran for the President position. But let’s leave it at that. Hatzlacha.

  3. there was some tzidukus to peres; for those that followed his interaction to the different situations over the years that cant be denied.Yes pple will argue he wasn’t religious etc….. ok theres a point as to the extent to his level of frumkeit but in many ways he lived his life out on a level that is worthy of praise even from the torah world; and he’s getting it.

  4. I am not sure why we are trying to make him a Tzadik. He was despised by many Gedolim who refused to meet with him. Rav Schach ZTL despised him the Gerer rebbes (lev simcha and Pnei Menachem) despised him because he was a liar the Steipler despised him.
    He was a secular Zionist who hate anything to do with Yidishkeit. So let’s put everything in perspective. Any time he did anything for frum community was for his own benefit. Hisd true love were thePalestinians not the frum yidden

    • Just because someone disagrees with you and has a different approach as wrong as it may be, it does not mean he hates you. I also highly doubt that the gedolim you mention despised him.

  5. So if he met the Chofetz Chaim and was so great, why did he attribute longevity to the great soul of a tzaddik and not a better choice of learning Torah.

    This man Peres is a sad case of a jew who wanted to be strong in the mind, money and worth; yet he did not strengthen Torah, safety or sanity.

    Still, its great to meet greatness. When will it be yourself?

    That is the curiosity.

  6. I don’t think anyone is stating he is a Gadol. We are just paying respect to an old Jew who passed away and who is not for us to judge, especially as we have not been in his shoes. There was recently an article about another elderly gentleman who passed away and was a survivor of the camps, and I am not sure that coating with poison the bread of now-harmless nazis is something to be praised, but I think we owe it to him to pay our respects, especially since we can not remotely imagine what it has been like.

    • Will you give charity to protest the feeling or just bicker. I wonder what Hashem does not give us when we have trolls angry at the smart who have a human feeling.

    • Oooh…THIS is why Moshiach is not here…
      Matzav, like many people who visit this site for their news, I always thought this is a site that is quasi-Torahdig. Thank you for clearing things up. It’s obvious this is not the case.

  7. The snivelling comment from anonymous that the article in Matzav about poisoning the bread of harmless Nazi’was bad is astounding you don’t think it was good to poison the ss .you need major help with your thinking and I am being polite.you question Matav’s for praising ann individual for poisoning nazis after the holocaust.shame on you.stop posting until you get help. Unfortunately the poison wasn’t strong enough and the nazis survived. It is a well known story you take Matzav to task about hakoros hatov to Peres and for praising an individual who poisoned ss murderers after the war.

  8. Last year I had dinner with Shimon Peres. It was at Kennedy airport and all the security were lined up as we boarded El Al. When we were seated, Shimon Peres boarded. During dinner, I asked the stewardess to have Shimon Peres autograph my napkin. Which he so kindly did. I’m going to frame it.

  9. Rambam (Hilchos Avel 1:8):
    כל הפורשין מדרכי ציבור, והם האנשים שפרקו עול המצוות מעל צווארן, ואינן נכללין בכלל ישראל בעשיית המצוות וכבוד המועדות, וישיבת בתי כנסייות ובתי מדרשות, אלא הרי הן כך בני חורין לעצמן, כשאר האומות, וכן המינים והמשומדים והמוסרין–כל אלו אין מתאבלין עליהן; אלא אחיהם ושאר קרוביהם לובשין לבנים ומתעטפים לבנים, ואוכלים ושותים ושמחים: שאבדו שונאיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא, ועליהם הכתוב אומר “הלוא משנאיך ה’, אשנא” (תהילים קלט,כא).

    Rambam (Hilchos Teshuva 3:20):
    הפורש מדרכי ציבור: אף על פי שלא עבר עבירות, אלא נבדל מעדת ישראל ואינו עושה מצוות בכללן ולא נכנס בצרתן ולא מתענה בתעניתן, אלא הולך בדרכו כאחד מגויי הארץ, וכאילו אינו מהן–אין לו חלק לעולם הבא.

Leave a Reply to bd Cancel reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here