The Brisker Rov wanted the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe to come live in Brisk in 5691/1931

stay tuned - full coverage iy"h tomorrow

Happenings at old BMG

The Rosh Yehiva Reb Hillel Zaks recalls a story that happened in BMG. An elderly Rov who he does not name here, spoke in BMG in front of RAK and said that Reb Yisroel Salanter said if I would've met the גר"א I would've rebuked him for keeping to himself and not going out to teach the masses and be משפיע on them. Reb Aron got very upset and grasped his shtender with all his might to keep himself from lashing out at the Rov. He later told Rabbi Zaks I would've stopped him if not for his stature and reputation. So were RYS' words not correct? Or was the problem the audience he was repeating the story to? Maybe he didn't believe the story? Well, he explains it in the second paragraph.

 .. .

Monday afternoon links

Stock Montage/Getty Images
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sits at a desk as he delivers a 'Fireside Chat' radio broadcast, 1930s.

  Kasztner and the Nazis
Selling Prized Torahs
The folly of excusing FDR on the holocaust
An interview with Singapore shliach and Chief Rabbi R' Mordechai Abergel
Synagogues become nightclubs in Eastern Europe
the Mussarites fight back!

with thanks to the CJV Rabbinic Circle

....א חתונה אין בריסק

It looks like grandiose weddings are becoming the norm even in reclusive families like Brisk. Well, that's how it looks in the pictures, anyway. I don't know if it was grandiose in the sense that they had a choice of beef or chicken and a smorgasbord. But it's a nice hall in Talpiot with a lot of people in attendance. They did, it seems however, follow the תקנות of yesteryear not to have full כלי זמר,  only a drummer=פויקער. The wedding here took place last week in Yerushalayim. Velvel Soloveitchik ben Reb Dovid is married to Reb Berel Povarsky's daughter. His son now married the daughter of Reb Peretz Meyerson, son-in-law of Reb Refoel Soloveitchik, Reb Dovid's younger brother. Keeping it in the family, just like the Rebbes and leHavdil royalty. (At least until recently that's what royalty did.) So, I guess whoever didn't come for Reb Dovid came for Reb Berel.

My personal favorite: The מחותן: רבי נתנאל פרץ מאירזון חתן רבי רפאל סאלאווייטשיק. If I was a Brisker I'd likely look like him. Maybe I should become one.

A Reader responds to a recent back-and-forth in Mishpacha

Photo Source

[The following was received via e-mail. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of Circus Tent, Hirshel Tzig, their families or friends.]

Dear Mishpacha Magazine:

I followed the exchange between Rabbis Noach Shafran of Baltimore and Moshe Weinberger of Woodmere, [See articles here, and Here] with rapt interest. Clearly, two serious yidden are engaged in dialogue about the most important topics; how to properly serve הקב''ה. That is inspiring. Yet, I am very troubled about what R. Weinberger says, doesn't say, as well as the style and substance of some of his arguments and innuendos. It goes without saying, that Rabbi Weinberger’s sincerity is not doubted. His keen discerning of a thirst and a yearning among many - for something that is both something deep and meaningful - is laudable and commendable. His attempts at challenging those feelings towards something positive and challenging is a big zechus. I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he agrees that working and toiling in learning is the ultimate accomplishment.Yet, that being said, Rabbi Weinberger makes a chulent from advocating learning Pnimiyus Hatorah to going to Lizhensk, experiencing hisbodedus and participating in farbrengens. It seems to me that there is a lack of appreciation for מבית מדרשו של הגר''א and what that represents in the discussion. It appears that according to Rabbi Weinberger, if one wants to experience depth and pniymiyus on a practical matter, one has to look elsewhere. Why doesn’t Rabbi Weinberger wax on about learning from the Gaon’s Cheder? Does that not constitute “pnimiyus hatorah?” Is that not all about, to paraphrase, getting a closer look and relationship with the Aibershter? If the writings of הגרי''א חבר ז''ל, that were studied by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, are not enough to inspire those who, I paraphrase, want to “shlug op their chavrusas”? Isn’t he aware, of the big lamdanim, who took part in the weekly transatlantic shiurim of Reb Moshe Shapiro, by invitation only?

 Moreover, Rabbi Weinberger points to the fact that people recently flock to certain kivrey tzadikim as proof to the legitimacy of his claims. Where was he michunach that he makes such arguments? At YU? Yet, with regards to going to kevarim, we all know how many times Reb Chaim Volozhiner went to the Gaon’s ohel to daven. But what does beseeching the Creator for השגת התורה have to do with hype and pomp? With all due respect, some people get this fuzzy feeling dancing around a fire that even influenced Skver to enact new customs after decades, so what? What if some of those people don’t get as inspired, in the same “ethereal” manner, by הויות דאביי ורבא? Of course, there is no mention of חכמת המוסר. Did we try to understand Reb Yeruchem? Do we know what he wanted, what he was driving at? Don’t get me wrong. I’m among the many whom also appreciate Piasecna. Undoubtedly, his ability to make Chassidus practical is appealing, as well as his gift at using exquisite meshalim. Perhaps, the Piasecner’s ability to fuse pniymiyus with practicality based on his mesorah, is what this is all about. 

I appreciate your printing my letter.

 The author can be contacted via Mishpacha.

אז מ'האלט ביים באנקראטירן ליידיגט מען אויס דער תירוצים קאסע

קטע מדברי רבי אהרן טייטלבוים אב"ד סאטמאר קרית יואל ביום כ'סיון העעל"ט בענין דעת בעל ה"ויואל משה" בעניני ציונות וכיו"ב ולמה ההלכה כמותו

 ענטפערן פאר יעדען איינעם יא! דער רבי זכרונו לברכה איז געווען א יחיד בדורו, ער איז ניצל געווארען מציפרני  הרשעים מיט'ן צלם אלוקים על פניו, די דיקנא קדישא, דער נזר אלוקיו על ראשו, ס'איז שמן משחת קודש, פון הימל א ראי', סייעתא  דשמיא, לכל דבריו. קיינער האט צו דעם נישט זוכה געוועזן, יהי' מה שיהי', וה' עמו שהלכה כמותו בכל מקום נגד יהי' מי שיהי'. קיינער האט נישט זוכה געווען צו דעם, קיין שום צדיק, קיין שום גדול בעולם. , ס'זאל  זיין נכנס בשלום ויצא בשלום מיט'ן צלם אלוקים על ראשו. ממילא מ'דארף נישט כאפן קיין התפעלות 

נו, גיי דינג זיך, אפילו אויב ס'איז שוין יא אמת. די מדינה שטייט נאך גאנץ פעסט. די ישיבות זענען מלא על גדותיהם. אידישקייט וואקסט פון אלע זייטן. איז טא וואס זאל מען טוהן אז די גאנצע שיטה איז געבויט אויף דאס פארקערטע? איז דא קומט אריין די אמונה פשוטה וואס בכללות זענען די אנשי סאטמאר נישט חשוד אויף אזא סארט עבירה. למשל ביי סיפורי צדיקים אד"ג. בייגעלייגט איז א בילד פון "רבי'ן זכרונו לברכה" אין געטא קלויזענבורג מיט'ן דיקנא קדישא פארדעקט. אלץ קינד האב איך געהערט אז די פאטשיילע איז געווען צו ווייזן אז ער האט כאילו א צאן ווייטאג און מ'זאל אים נישט באדערן. און די רשעים האבען עס געגלייבט און בדרך נס האט קיינער אים נישט געבאדערט. די בילד איז פונעם ספר "שקיעת החמה" וועלכע איז ארויס אין תש"מ און געפינט זיך אינעם אוצר הספרים ביי אונז אין די משפחה

if only he'd wait a l-i-t-t-l-e longer....

 In the aftermath of another Belzer wedding production, and after all the praise of taking a chassidus decimated by the holocaust and the loss of the uncle the tzaddik haDor, when people thought that he wouldn't have a minyan the first Rosh Hashonoh of his Rebbisteve, and now look at all the thousands of chassidim...

.... Here's some food for thought: The Belzer Ruv has made one wrong political move after another. He fought the עדה החרדית till it came back to bite him and had to send 10 dayanim to ask mechillah in Kiryas Joel. The Villimsboorger Chassidim at the time of the break off started a fight, their main argument being that he is undermining a beis din that גאוני קדמאי established.  Even old the Pupa Ruv was dragged in to this mess. Now, when 50% of the eidah does not follow the Eidah zali party, and the Zali Rebbe completely ignores the ראב"ד רבי משה שטערנבוך, his people throw pashkevillen against him with the worst names and epithets,  and Rav Sternbuch isn't visiting him or his "payroll Rabbonim," It's not גאוני תקופאי anymore. They can be disregarded and ignored. I recall when the eidah came in 1978 (and 1988) to Williamsburg; what hype they created! Every Joe Shmoe was like in an elated mood! they celebrated non-stop! The whole eidah Rabbinate even came to Pupa to shalash seudos. Besides for Reb Moshe Arye. I think they said then there there were some issues still back from Hunyadi in the old country, involving their 2 fathers.  [the ויגד יעקב was Rov there first, followed by RMA's father...] But the Belzer should have waited until the eidah's prestige dissolves on its own.  He is like the בני אפרים, he chases the geulah prematurely. He wants prestige as a tzadik, like the Belzer Rebbes were considered universally in the past. He wants a legacy of a tzaddik, but that will, unfortunately for him, not happen.

Here at Circus Tent we're still under the impression of the "72-minute" כי אנו עמך at the Belzer Chasunah 6.0

  See Story

Good old-fashioned Tolner-Chernobler Ahavas Yisroel

Hirshel:

The Skverer Rebbe has a few words on Ahavas Yisroel from the holy Reb Duved'el Tolner. Some of you may be surprised by this (by the Skverrer repeating it) in light of recent happenings in Skver to the contrary, but here it is, black on white. Read them and see what Chassidus was trying to accomplish.

Which reminds me: This Yom Tov I encountered a Rebbishe kind who lately feels sick of the hate machine of a certain Hungarian/Rumanian chassidus, and for example their general gatherings and 70th year celebrations of their leader.... He learned in their Cheder and was bullied for being a Rebbishe einikel from a different "hoyf," which shall for now remain nameless. They used to harass him by lunch break, like, "say with your mouth that Chaim Kanievsky is s zionist and will go to gehenom." Or say "Chaim Meir Viznitzer is a Tziyoni." I explained to him that these kids are good boys, it's only one person's fault, and it's all in his books....  He did not chap the reason of saying nishtakcho is because of the ahavas Yisroel of chassidic seforim. I had to show him inside and how all this hate was manufactured. 

ירחי כלה תשמ"א (מוצש"ק) בקרית גן ישראל, פארקסוויל נ.י. 12768

Received via email:

The Yarchei Kallah in camp Gan Yisroel Parksville, NY was created in memory of the Rebbe's father Rav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson zt"l. It started on Friday with a session of a few pilpulim by the visiting Rabbonim. On Shabbos afternoon there was another session. Motzei Shabbos was the main session. (like the Agudah convention...) People would make the trip from Crown Heights, and if there was a farbreingin on that Shabbos the Rebbe would give a hishtatfus by saying a pilpul at the farbrengen. On Sunday morning would be the last session. In the good old days many non-Lubavitcher Rabbonim would participate. Rav Yolles from Philadelphia, Rabbi Tuvia Stern from Miami, Rabbi Simcha Elberg, HaRav Hirshprung from Montreal, Rabbi Hershberg and more. When Rabbi Hirshprung would come for Shabbos he would have a trail of bochurim following him around constantly testing him and talking in learning. These pics are from the Motzoei Shabbos session. We'll bring some more pics, including Friday session pictures, בהמשך, אי"ה.

הרב ר' מרדכי מענטליק ע"ה

Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler

הרב ר' אהרן סאלאוויטשיק ע"ה

הרה"ח ר' יואל שי' הכהן (ימין) ולידו (מוסתר בחלקו) הרה"ח ר' יוסף מענדל טענענבוים ע"ה

הרה"ח ר' יואל שי' הכהן

החסיד ר' יעקב יוסף ראסקין ע"ה

Memories of old Pupa

Hirshel:

I saw this yesterday in a Satmar shul. This is a book published by a Jew Ortner; (originally from Galicia) its in back of his sefer of sermons. He can quote from Reb Chatzkel Sarna to Rav Amiel, and everything in between. Looks like a cool jew who davened in meor hagolah Montreal by the Reb Shaye Yakov thé son of the Skulener, who gives a haskoma.  These 3 pages I send you say a whole lot. He and his brothers learned in Pupa. They were from Preshov, by the Galicia border. 280 boys learned there.  They had a list who goes to mikvah, and you didn't get hot soup if u did not go. Pupa Ruv gave שיריים then already, lit Chanukah licht like a real Rebbe, meaning very late, 2.5 hours after the z'man, with a few hundred boys looking on - more than he had in NY. Not before he went to an icy lake to toyvel beforehand. It seems that Ortner had no personal relationship with the Pupa Rebbe, Look at the schedule: 4:45am wakeup time. 5:30am by the גמרא already שוין נאך די מקוה. I don't see why they woke up the boys so early; The learning was not so great and important that they needed so many hours.  In Poland Jews were already almost all exterminated r"l, and in the Hungarian Yeshivos they served chicken and sometimes beef with shmaltz.   Not bad. The old Badansky bachi looked like a generous person, gave good food. Hungarian women may have been holy, but spoke no yiddish. But we knew that. All in all it seems like in the holy town of Pupa they emphasized chasidus more than Torah.

Click to enlarge. Read and enjoy!

Kotler, Grosowski, Belkin, Soloveitchik

Source: Seforim Blog

Looks like amohl we knew that in times of crisis we can band together, put our differences aside, petty or stark as they may be, and fight for the common cause. 

My friends, The לעז on the FR didn't start in New York about Shanghai....

What we have here is a letter from the Gaon Reb Chaim Ozer zt"l to Rav Shmuel Yitzchok Hilman Hilman of London (Chief Rabbi Herzog's shver) asking him to intercede on behalf of the 3 Million Jews living under the Soviet regime. Seems part of the issue was that people were hesitant to give or help, since people said that the Frierdiger Rebbe focuses on helping his own Chassidim. As if that's a crime. But Reb Chaim calls it a לעז - i.e. to defame him. So what was the issue back in 1929? What excuse did they have back then? The letter is part of a greater dossier (!) of letters found in the State of Israel archives.

The many faces of Ger, 5778

LBJ and RFK campaigning in Boro Park, 1964

a young Yoka Ruv, zt"l on your left

In those days candidates didn't take our votes for granted. Or New York, I suppose. Today why bother? It'll go to the Dem anyway. And who wants to be seen as supporting those Jewish Bible-thumpers anyway?

"יש לנו מדינה יהודית־ציונית נפלאה ומדהימה"

יהודי משה-זהב פותח פה (עט) על דודו הקנאי ר' עמרם ברש"י בלויא ע"ה

זעהט אויס אז אפשר איז סאטמאר רב גאר גערעכט געווען. טאמער וואוינט מען אין ארץ ישראל קען מען זיך נישט האלטען פעסט אין די שיטה. די הצלחה פון די מדינה פארבלענדט די אויגן און מ'מיינט אז אפשר איז דאס  דאס דער אמת. אפילו דער גרעסטער קנאי - און אפשר דוקא די קנאים, ווייל זיי זענען שטענדיג עוסק אין די ענינים, זענען זיי דוקא די מערסטע עממפענגליך צו די ציוניסטישע נאראטיוו. א פארעווער חסיד גייט אים נישט אן נישט אהין און נישט אהער. ער שטימט אין די טריפה'נע וואלען ווייל זיין רבי האט אים אזוי געהייסן, אבער מער גייט אים נישט אהן די ציונות שבמדינה מער ווי זיין גלייכצייטיגער פריינט אדער קרוב אין ברוקלין. משי-זהב איז נישט דער ערשטער און אפשר גאר נישט דער לעצטער וועלכע זעהט אז א מדינה איז אפשר נישט אזוי שלעכט פאר אחב"י. איבערהויפט נאך דער גרויסער חורבן אייראפע.

אסתיר פני | סיפור החורבן והשיקום של חייו של האדמו"ר מצאנז- קלויזבורג וקהילתו

פרישע סחורה - הערשט געבאקען אויף דער אינטערנעץ. א גוט שטיקל ארבעט האבען די צאנזערס אנגעמאכט. מ'ברויך זיי געבן קרעדיט. נישטא קיין ברירה
I just don't see how Sanz goes together with Prof. Leibowitz.

הרב יאשע בער סאלאווייטשיק - נאך אלע מעשיות דער אלט-מאדישער שטעטל איד

הערט זיינע רייד אין תשכ"ח - ביי די יארצייט דרשה

כ'קען שוין נישט ווארטען אויף די חמשה עשר מי יודע.... I'm Kinda Shocked Here

This has been going on for a while now. Every Yomtov they seem to cross the line with their ads. The לוחות in the shape of some Hungarian meat delicacy before Shavuos, and so on. Like some letz is sitting there and popping out the ads and waiting to see the reaction of people. Waiting to see somebody blow up at him. Phone calls to the stores from irritated vayblech and such. But it doesn't seem like it's happening. The meat (!) of the fight between the 2 Satmars seems to be heavily centered on the butcher shops. Lee Avenue has 4 Satmar Fleish Geshefts. The Aronim built a new meat market at the Corner of Ross Street in Williamsburg, it looks like an old-fashioned smoke house. Every weekly publication has ads from both Satmar Meats, and only a sharp eye can discern between them. Maybe that's why the usually zealous Satmars step back and watch the fireworks; they realize there's a lot riding on the meat wars...

חמשה עשר מי יודע? סאטמאר שלומא אליעזריא. חמשה עשר רביא

האדמו"ר מדינוב מכיר בשורשיו

The New פרוכת just installed in the big Dinover shul in Williamsburg has the name of כ"ק מרן אדמו"ר רבי ברוך יהושע ירחמיאל אבדק"ק מונקאטש והגלילות proudly displayed on it. This is a new chapter and brings some closure to years of pain and hurt. I imagine the decision wasn't easy for the Dinover, but he ultimately did the right thing. Let's just that the zealots don't get any ideas into their their warped little heads...