Quality, not Quantity (book review, too!)

Reb Michoel Ber Weissmandl zt"l is a personality that seems to have found favor amongst Jews of all circles, Chassidic, Litvish, and Hungarian. They know him mostly for his efforts to save Jews during WWII, and for his establishing the Yeshivah Farm Settlement in Mount Kisco, aka Nitra Yeshivah. However, the layman knows little about his personality and about his opinions unless he reads up about him. For the Hebrew reader that opportunity has just knocked, in the form of a book ",איש חמודות" the book that tells of the life and times of a leader who passed on in his prime, a broken and devastated man. I too was immediately pulled towards the book when I saw it in the book store, and I knew that I need to have this all-important biography, for myself, and to share with you, the readers. I'm happy to report that although the author, as many these days seem to do, for some reason needs the support of the Satmar Rov z"l to approve of his zeide, and takes a very "Satmarishe" position on many issues, painting RMBW as a quasi-Satmarer, he does not disappoint in other areas, and has done a fine job.

There are many, many quotes attributed to RMBW that are taboo today, you'll never hear them repeated, at least from the people who really know, and were there when they were made. Quotes he's to have made about Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshivah who became the Gedolim in America and elsewhere after WWII, and mostly related to the efforts, or lack thereof, made to save Jews during the war years. He never forgave them, much as he never forgave the secular Zionists who refused to cooperate with him. He would lay away awake at night and cry bitterly over the vanished world of Jewish Europe, all the while trying to rebuild, although he believed that it'll never be the same as it was, no matter how many Shtraymel-Machers there are in BP and W'burg. One such speech was probably made to the Bochurim in the Yeshivah after Kol Nidrei 5708, when the Yeshivah was still in its original location, in Somerville, New Jersey. Reb AC Spitzer of Boro Park, the former Viener Dayan, is quoted as saying that those present will never reveal much of what was said at that 4-hour speech. The tears and screams at that speech will never be forgotten. There's much more to be said about the book, but I'd like to focus on one short story there.

KeYodua; after the war the West German Government decided to make good to all those who survived the atrocities, and pay them a monthly stipend called Wiedergutmachung. All of my grandparents would get that monthly check in that very distinct envelope. The Government of Israel also was supposed to get a large sum from the Germans, besides for the money that went to individuals, and if I recall correctly Menachem Begin and the right-wing parties in Israel were adamant about not accepting any money from the murderers who think that they can pay us off for a few dollars. Yeshivos in America were also given monies at that time, and the amount given was decided upon by a board of Roshei Yeshivah. RMBW didn't want to take the money, saying that since he needs to sign the back of the check, where it says that you forgive them for all crimes they committed, how can he sign? For a few dollars we should forgive and forget? He also said that he doesn't want that the gold they pulled from his mother's (HaYad) mouth should end up in his hands in the form of a check. Rabbi Leo Jung, who was instrumental in helping the Yeshivah move to the location in Mount Kisco, asked RMBW why he doesn't take the money, after all it'll benefit Torah? The answer was simple: Yes, Chazzer is Muttar BeSha'as Pikuach Nefesh, but is there an Isser to eat excrement? no. Would anyone dream of eating it just because it's not Treif?! That was RMBW.

During Aseres Yemei Tshuvah of 5714 there was a meeting of the representatives of Yeshivos, where it was decided how to divide the monies, and how much each Yeshivah should get. The end result was that the Mirrer Yeshivah was to get twenty percent, Lakewood was to get twenty percent, and Nitra Yeshivah only five percent. RMBW was beside himself and demanded an explanation. "If we go according to what the Yeshivos were before the War, then in Mir there were 100 students (that's what the book says, I'm not sure where he got that misinformation from - HT) and in Nitra there were 200 students, BeMeila kumt zich unz mer fun zei. If current number of students are used to determine which Yeshivah gets what, then Lakewood has 150 Bochurim, and so does Nitra! Why then the discrepancy in money allocated to us?! One of those present answered: Rav Weissmandl, מען גייט ניט לויט די כמות, מען גייט לויט די איכות.......... We go according to quality, not quantity...... After that he was quite and said no more, seeing it as a sign from heaven that this was his lot.

Shein?

A short biographical sketch