Wednesday, May 24, 2006

"Legends of the Hasidim"

An Introduction to Hasidic Culture and Oral Tradition in the New World.

by Jerome R. Mintz






(The current Stoliner Rebbe as a young, young man)


[Some choice stories]

"When the (Stoliner) Rebbe was sick the last year of his life, a man stayed with him. Once he came in to the Rebbe and the Rebbe was in a sweat. He said he had been in the Heavenly Court. They had wanted to make war against the Jews. It was the time of the Arab war, (in 1956) but he prevented it."

FF, Stolin, E

"A woman comes in for a Kvitl. She writes her name, her mother's name, and her problem. The (Unknown) Rebbe doesn't look at the woman. The Gabai - The Rebbe's secretary - lets her in. The woman says "My husband left me."
The Rebbe says "He will come back."
The Gabai lets her out and says, "Your husband won't come back."
"How can you say that? the Rebbe just said that he will."
"He didn't look at you."

UU, Satmar, E

"The Rebbe's father had a gabai - Moshe Gendarme, Moshe the policeman. The Rebbe used him for many strange things. One kiddish levuneh, the seventh day after the new moon, when it was cloudy, he would have Moshe whipped. Then the moon would come out. It's common to make the moon come out. "Makhen a levuneh" is to give someone a hit."

M, Stolin, E

(E = English, the story was told in English, Y= Yiddish, the letters FF, M, and UU are names he gives to the people relating the stories to him)

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tziggaleh, do you want some lubavitch stories to add to this collection???

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

There are plenty of Lubavitcher stories in the book, as you might expect. I see that you too fail to see the point. I was hoping that you would.

Anonymous said...

is this a new book? i know about 'hasidic people'. I also failed to see your point, becaus eyou didn't explain it...if i wanted to break my head i'd try to learn gemora. jerome is a lubavitch friendly...

MEKUSHOR said...

Strange stuff indeed. That's it, from now on I'm only flying Quantis airlines. (I don't expect anyone to get that, but maybe someone will)

H,
Were all the stories like that?

thanbo said...

On the Stoliner: a former coworker's brother was the Stoliner's counselor in summer camp (the Stoliner took power at age 18, having had a regency since he was 18 months old). The future rebbe liked to act up a bit, but he was good at taking suggestions - you only had to tell him once not to do something, and he wouldn't do it again.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

N

the book is from the late 60's, and was probably the first of the books about the Chasidim.

Anonymous said...

& the point of the stories is.......

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Tzib (anonymous)

You should know better, really.

MEKUSHOR said...

I'm curious about I thing: Why did you chose the Stoliner for your sample?

Anonymous said...

This is a very good book. It came out in 1969 and was one of the first boks about Contemporary Chasidic life in the USA. The author Mintz did not know any Yiddish or hebrew which is a peleh gadol.
Its well written and illustrated , and I enjoyed the book and some place own a paperback edition.

Anonymous said...

I give up!
on second thought, maybe i'm a little thick?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Mikusher

I find that Stolin has some of the most outrageous or unbelievable stories out there, and they're mostly told by the Rabbeyim about themselves, at least the last 2 Rabbeyim.

Tzibaleh: does that answer your question?

Anonymous said...

nu! & the friediker Rebbe's stories??? about himself, the dreams or בהקיץ?????

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Tzibaleh

You don't see, I'm on the defensive here, you can't come back at me with the original question!

Besides, the stories of the Frierdige Rebbe, where HIS FATHER, came to him, pale in comparison. After all, it's not that hard to believe that a Rebbe would come to his son the Rebbe. We're not speaking of preventing wars here.

Anonymous said...

i meant certain year חי אלול אין בהקיץ & you yourself say " find that Stolin has some of the most outrageous or unbelievable stories out there" so וואס defensive ווען defensive?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Tzib
You need to be more coherent, It's tough to understand you. What I THINK you mean to say is that the FR says that his father came to him and told him that 18 Elul is a Yom Tov is just as outrageous. I beg to differ, especially since it WAS his father.

Also, by defensive I mean to say that these here stories were posted to contrast some of the claims made about Chabad stories being exaggerated or untrue.

Anonymous said...

ok, I'm refering to a certain בהקיץof בעש"ט & מגיד, not his father, (his "father" experiences was years later) that the friediker rebbe writes re his experience(year of bar mitzvah?)

Anonymous said...

the apperence from one rebbe to the mamalie mokom is a common thread in the chasidic universe, even in a place like belz by reb yisoscher dov, that was considered a baal nigleh, has full of stories in this fashion, some are printed by klapholtz and alot is known by old chasidim.

Anonymous said...

Tzig, the shlichus as a system vs. free-for-all is back at mentalblock. Have fun! We can relive the past with mentalblock, again and again and again - guaranteed!

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Tzibaleh
I'm not sure what you're referring to, but I hear what you're saying. Your problem with it, however, I cannot understand.

Anonymous said...

to mi-kush-er

yes i get the joke about qantas, its from the rain man movie!

havemeyer