Thursday, October 26, 2006

The FR on the BR


(The FR)

FR=Frierdige Rebbe, aka Rayatz, aka the 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe
BR=Brisker Rov, aka Reb Velevl, aka the Gri"z.


There's a letter written on 29 Teves 5710 (11 days before his Histalkus) to the Chossid Reb Bentze Shemtov in which he writes as follows:

בדבר התלמיד מר....... נהניתי מאד שבחר ללמוד איזה זמן אצל הרב הגאון האמיתי מוה"ר זאב שליט"א סאלאווייציק

תקותי חזקה אשר נועם הנהגתו ומדותיו הנעימות של הגר"ז ודעתו הכי רחבה להכיר מעלת הפלאת דרכי החסידות והחסידים באהבת ישרא-ל בכלל ואהבת בני תורה ובעלי מעלות טובות בפרט יגרש הריח לא טוב פון דעם אלטען התנגדות שימעל אשר הגר"ח ביערו במדה ידועה מקרב חניכיו ותלמידיו ההולכים באמת

(אגרות קודש אדמו"ר מהריי"צ חלק יו"ד אגרת ג'תרפ"ח)


(center: RBZ Shemtov)

In the world there's a saying that goes something like this: Of the 3 Soloveitchik Rabbonim L'Beis Brisk and their relationship to Chassidim it can be said that:

Reb Yoshe Ber the Beis HaLevi האט פיינט געהאט חסידים און נישט חסידות

ר' חיים האט פיינט געהאט חסידות און ניט חסידים

ר' וועלוול האט פיינט געהאט חסידים און חסידות

There's supposedly a "retort" from the Brisker Rov on that, I just can't remember it.


(The BR)

A friend of mine, an enlightened type, told me די רבי האט פשוט ניט געקענט דער בריסקער רב, and figured him, based on him being Reb Chaim's son, to be some sort of friend of Chassidim, hence the warm words. That's seems a bit hard to believe, being that the Rov was quite outspoken in his beliefs.

There IS a story that former Agudah MK Menachem Porush tells of a shlichus he had from the BR to the FR in 1948-1949. The Rov asked MP to see the Rebbe and ask him to use his influence with Zalman Shazar, who had become Education Minister, to allow the Old Yiddish-speaking Chadorim, which were in danger of being disallowed in the new State. The Rebbe was quite surprised accrording to MP, and repeated a few times "די בריסקער רב האט אייך געשיקט צו מיר?". The request was fulfilled, needless to say.

Maybe that influenced the Rebbe's opinion.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you want me to keep reading Circus Tent you will have to translate those funny Jew squiggles into ENGLISH. This is America afterall.

Anonymous said...

Hirshel
Why no mention of R'Avrohom Barnetsky's passing?One of the most beloved Rebbes in the Lubavitch system.No mention that his sons learned in BMG and one was even the mazkir of the yeshiva.
I guess it does not fit your agenda, the black and white one of the tzookegemuner , where if you do not agree with us, including our meshugassen you are a 'hater'.Maybe in fifty years time you''ll understand that there is something in between:It's called grey.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Polly

I usually try to write about people that I either know or have some other connection to.

I also like to have a picture and some sort of description. In this case the pic was bad, and all I knew about him yesterday was that he was a Melamed in Lubavitch for 60 years. By the time I gathered more info I had forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder.

I don't see why he would "hurt" my "agenda", Aderaba, it would only help it.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

George

I'll do my best.

Anonymous said...

Who was the talmid that learned by R Velvel

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

I wish I knew, but his name is not mentioned in the letter. Maybe one of Bentze's kids knows?

Anonymous said...

The ravs retort, was "this is sheker vechazav" . Some of the Ravs closest followers in brisk, where hassidim. Now Lubavichers might be a different story (even though the Rav did have a correspondence with #6.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Anonymous

you said: "The ravs retort, was "this is sheker vechazav"

I ask: retort to what?

Anonymous said...

possibly this
"There's supposedly a "retort" from the Brisker Rov on that, I just can't remember it."

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

what's the retort on, the Menachem Porush story? the Zevin story?

Anonymous said...

Let me get this straight, the Rebbe made a mistake!! Such heresy. I guess to hate Litvaks ever that is OK