Sunday, April 30, 2006

Here's my dilemna



HaRav Moshe Shmuel Shapira was niftar yesterday.

When it comes to the old guard of the Yeshivishe world my love for history puts me in a bind. I'm not of the opinion that a Misnaged Can't be a Yerei Shomayim because he dislikes or disrespects Chassidim, maybe some are, but not me. Someone who spends his life spreading Torah and Yirat Shomayim is OK by me although he willingly lacks Pnimimyus HaTorah, as long as he "behaves".

My problem begins with those who make their life's work to oppose good work being done by others just because they're Chassidim. A recent article quoted here in the "Rusty Nail" quoted the Vabolniker Tzadik as saying that Chabad was the most serious problem of his day, and therefore he stood up against them although it was not the popular thing to do. Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim, who put aside their own opinions and were Mekabel "Daas Torah" (sic) from him although they knew that the current situation does not feel right, you cannot just alienate and deem "Apikorsim" a whole group of Yidden because you think, in your boorish opinion, that you found a problem with what their leader said.

Reb Moshe Shmuel, a scion of the newly discovered Litvishe Yichus, ( a grandson of Reb Chaim Volozhiner ) is, to me, part of that problematic group, and for that I have trouble forgiving, but who am I? I appreciate his devotion to Torah, but I cannot overlook his part in the polarization of Klal Yisroel. Therefore I do not fell the loss that we suffered.

Yehi Zichro Boruch.

איצטער איז ער אפ'ן עולם האמת און ער זעהט דעם אמת

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

'Newly discovered yichus'
New by you maybe.
Your blog is dead because your are immature and boring.
Grow up, won't you.

Anonymous said...

Hi.

What do you mean by newly discovered Litvishe yichus ?

What do you have against R. Shapira ? I am not aware that he was prominently involved in certain inyonim (to the same degree) as the Vaboiliniker tzaddik was. He was not his mimaleh mokom or talmid muvhok, as far as I know.

Yes, in the oilom hoemes one sees the emes. But are you totally sure that what he sees now is exactly what you think he sees ?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

grow up:

by "newly discovered" I mean to say that in the Litvishe velt they've recently discovered that Yichus takes you a long way and gets you places, something that wasn't done in the old days. It used to be that you needed to work at it in order to be considered somebody, today Yichus takes the place of a lot of hard work.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

wondering

He was not totally involved, but was neverthless, therefore I have SOME respect for him.

Does he see what I see in the Olom HoEmes, Ver veis?

Anonymous said...

put aside the (possible) issue of his hisnagdus for a minute, and please explain what loss you personally suffered. Did you learn his sforim, ask him halachos, get inspired by the way he led his life? (keyodu'a the answer from the melamed "es is nisht main Tatte")

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

to tell you truth it's become a broken record already. Every time a Rosh Yeshiva is niftar all you need to do is fill in the name and dates, everything else is basically the same. So it's hard to say that you become inspired. Maybe if I read the subsequent book they'll publish about his life.

I had no personal connection with him and never did learn his seforim much, so maybe that's why I lack the proper feeling of the loss here. Maybe you can enlighten us friend?

Anonymous said...

Maybe the feeling of loss is for the cheftza, not for the gavra

Anonymous said...

I read the following sippur in the name of the late Satmarer rebbe rav Yoel Teitelbaum ZT"L. He was sitting at his tisch on a week day and opened an old bottle of mashke, a fly flew out and landed on the tisch, and the rebbe immediately jumped off his shtul and stood up melo komoso, . The gabboim etc were amazed mai hai,??? the rebbe responded that for a fly so long in the bottle- an alter flig shtet men eych uf -.!!!
Immediately like a good half Litvishe yid , I ask mechilah from the nifter and others. I did not mean to insult anyone, just a bit of humor .

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Friend

what's the Cheftza in this case?

Anonymous said...

The bigger question is "who is the gavra"? I doubt that the Yated tells you much about the man.
The cheftza is what people look for in a "leader" nowadays.
Are you looking to be mekushar to someone, or is it more important that there should be a Rebbe?

AMSHINOVER said...

this weeks parsha is "Achrei mos, kedoshim(emor)"

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

In this case they didn't wait for Achrei Mos.