Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Circus Tent Links

Rafi G goes to the Har HaBayis

Funny how a "regular Joe who learned in Telshe Chicago" would buck Charedi wisdom (and mine) and take the tour of the temple mount. Then again, according to his profile he's got Smichah from Reb Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, son in law of Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach z"l. It doesn't get any more Charedi than that.

Tzemach's got a problem with the color of the Rebbe's suit

Now he thinks they colored the Rebbe's suit in the FR's citizenship film to make it look like it was blue, not gray. He also thinks they dyed the beard, since the Rebbe was almost 50 and surely had some white hair in his beard. And he calls me paranoid. He also has a Kashe on the FR (Kevayochel) based on a BeFeirushe TNLR in Italy.

All in all a must read.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, the humor, the utter humor, of this comment: http://www.haloscan.com/comments/tzemach/117254417259767996/?src=hsrs#281146

Anonymous said...

And the alleged sinister motive behind all this coloring is what?

Anonymous said...

Tzemach's comment

Anonymous said...

Curiouser and curiouser - He deleted the comment. Basically, after someone mentioned a removal of Rashab from a situation on the FRs request (that comment is still there), Tzemach comments to the effect that we shouldn't reinvoke dormant issues. Ha! And who has been reinvoking them since his blog was started? Two-faced Russian Pravda.

Milhouse said...

Why would they colour the suit? Why would blue be "better" than grey?

As for the FR's beard, he was known as a "geller". There's a well known story of someone in yechidus who was complaining about someone else, and unthinkingly called him "a geller ganef" and then suddenly realised what he'd said; the FR smiled and said "ober a kluger".

Rafi G. said...

actually it does get more Haredi (in the social sense) than that. While Rav Zalman nechemia is Rav Auerbach's son in law, and while he is a genius and very personable at the same time (much like his father in law), and while he is haredi, he is not one who tows the line. He is not afraid of bucking the trend and paskening or doing things that are not traditionally haredi.

Anonymous said...

Some chassidim DID colour pictures as clearly documented in Larger than Life Vol 2. This gave rise to an understandable healthy dose of skepticism, some of which can be wrong of course.

Again, it doesn't deflate the Lubavitcher Rebbe, it only adds to his mystique (as does eg. the alleged story that he wore a light short suit at his Chasseneh after Yichud). It's as if some Chassidim feel that it's better to hide these things. Why? The Torah didn't hide things about Avos, Neviim and Melochim. Why should Chassidim want to conceal and obfuscate aspects of their Rebbes lives? It does baffle me.

When I read letters and the like from Rav Soloveitchik or the Lubavitcher Rebbe where they are able to technically engage the world outside of a cloistered minority, I find it uplifting and a kiddush hashem.

Anonymous said...

The fact that the Rebbe wore a grey suit has been published. Anything "documented" in Larger than Life by Deutch can be safely discarded. Anything Ahmanadijenad says about the Holocaust may be discarded as well.

Tzig, Tzemach is losing it again. He tried to hold back, but the dam broke. He requested a helping hand...

Anonymous said...

Ok. so how do YOU learn pshat in the raised hand?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

All I know is that the Loshen I swear is forbidden, I've heard nothing about the rasied hand. The FR does turn around to the Rebbe and asks him soething right beforehand, maybe he asked what the din is if you're allowed to raise your hand etc. Only after that does he raise his holy hand.

Anonymous said...

Is raising the hand actually a real problem? Yikes! I knew we weren’t supposed to say I swear (rather we say I affirm), or place our hand on a cheifetz, but when I was in court I raised my hand, and when my wife became a citizen she raised her hand. This may be simple am-ha’aratzus on my part, but nobody ever told me not to do it. Can someone provide a mare-makom that I can look up?

Although a Google search did find that there are 5 ways to indicate oaths in Chumash:
- I swear
- The Raising of the Hand
- Repetition
- Therefore
- By My Life
(see: Berashis 14-22 the loshon of shavua is used: “I RAISE MY HAND TO HEAVEN”)

Any Halachists out there?

Anonymous said...

hmmm said

"Anything "documented" in Larger than Life by Deutch can be safely discarded"

This is so sad. I wonder if hmmm has read volume 2 and looked at the veracity of some of the points instead of continuing ad hominem Deutsch attacks?

Over and Out.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Isaac

I don't think hmmm means anything, he probably means most of his so-called "revelations." Sort of like the saying that goes something like this:

The only thing you can believe from a newspaper is the date.

See my point?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Rafi G

what's RZNG's opinion about going up on the Har Habayis?

Rafi G. said...

I never asked him. I rarely see him anymore. I suspec he quietly supports it, but that is just a guess. I suspect so because it is his style. Also, I asked a very close talmid of his (who is a rav and dayan in his own right) and he supports it.

Anonymous said...

Dear Issac
Stop with the chabad hiding, no other orthodox sect exposed it's inner secrets more then Chabad.Eventough it hurted them bigtime. Even the Rav Kook School has alot of manuscripts of him that rav Avrum Shapiro put a hold on printing them since it was too contreversial.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm and others way of studying history is based on whether they like the person or not.They don't like Rabbi Deutsch,'therfore' anything he says is untrue.Why don't they read the book and try to analyze it for themselves?
About the Rebbes dress code:The Rebbe was no 'chnyok' he wore short sleeved shirts, no payos, etc.Lubavitch of today follows that general path:You see many Shluchim with colored shirts, even brown shoes.Regular Lubab will wear jeans, seude yarmulkas.Why would it be so unusual that the Rebbe wore a light colored suit by his wedding,if you ever see pictures of Chevroner yeshiva boys in Chevron prior to the pogrom, you''ll see that some wore white hats and light suits.
I used to be the same way regarding history,I wanted it to fit into the way I would feel comfortable with.That was a long time ago..........................when I was 12 years old

Anonymous said...

Anonymous
What 'secrets' to Chabad expose?
Zai nisht kahn naar, please.
The details were 'exposed' by others.
We can get into a discussion if certain things should be kept secret and I agree there is no need for Chabad to come out with uncomfortable history, but don't say that Chabad has exposed any 'secrets'

Anonymous said...

boropark, you're the naar and the chad gadya, too. Chabad hasn't exposed any secrets, for they were never kept secret in the first place.