Monday, October 15, 2007

Who knows?


COL

Above is a recently-discovered picture, taken in Lubavitch in 5668. So far the guesses range from Reb Srol Noach Blizinski (wrong) to Reb Mendel Futerfas' father, Mendel, to a Majdanchik, to the Rebbe's Zeide, Reb Boruch Schneur (probably not). They seem to have cropped another person in the picture, the one who's hand is draped over the Chossid's shoulder. It's not the little girl's hand, as we can plainly see that the material on the sleeve is different than the dress she's wearing. What we do know is that he was a Chassidisher Yid.

28 comments:

  1. Nebach, he did not know better. I am sure he is jealous of every Lakewood Cheder Boy learning the pnimius of Torah. . .

    Sounds familiar?

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  2. He knew better. He saw the sub-par products of the snag world, and the sheer arrogance of its people, that he decided that come what may, Ich vel kein Misaged nit zein!

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  3. Right . . . but NOW in the olam hoemes he knows better (I am quoting word for word from a certain letter advocating sinas chinam and gaavah).

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  4. You seem to be quite wrong about the dress, it is just darker because of the lighting of the picture. It is the girl's hand.
    Quite amusing to see all those attempts on COL to identify him...

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  5. LOOK at where the hand is coming from; it's coming from HIS left. The girl is on his right.

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  6. That's definitely the young girl's hand (I can only assume that you think that the arm belongs to someone out of the picture, but if so that would have to be some deformed figure). The material matches fine.

    Blow up the picture and look again.

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  7. Blow up the picture and look again.

    I presume you mean enlarge the picture?

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  8. Tzig,

    CE is correct. If the hand was coming from the otherside, the thumb would be visible.

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  9. if your brain can process this try and concentrate:

    any frum Jew in the world can achieve what a Lakewood Cheder does since it's a few Yeshivishe Mesechtos and not much more. Whereas a Chossid continues far, far beyond there.

    Farshteyst?

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  10. I agree with Chabakuk Elisha. The pattern of her dress matches up with the pattern on the sleeve rested on his shoulder.

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  11. I guess if you keep lying to yourself you may one day believe your position to be true. The fact is that every chassid in shomayim is jealous of every lakewood cheder boy learning nowadays because only THEY have the pnimius of Torah. This is the truth. All Chassidim have is schnopps, deep sinas chinam, incredibly ignorance concerning Torah, and enormous Gaavah. Lake Chaded continue far, far beyond there.

    I am sure this is why the Alter Rebbe is definitely jealous of a Lakewood Cheder boy--why, its a straight out Gemarah!!!

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  12. Touche' my friends, I see you're correct. What then is that thing around his neck and on his shoulders?

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  13. It's his collar - fur - if you look closely you will see that it's under the girls hand as well.

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  14. Not R Mendel Futerfas senior. He died young, far younger than this person. And he lived first in Pleshchenitsy and then in Kharkov, not in Lubavitch.

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  15. the 'thing' around his shoulder is the back of his chair (you'll see it under the hand on the other side as well), and the hand is that of the little girl.
    And anonymous, get a life.
    or don't, as long as you're enjoying yourself.

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  16. Not only is the thumb missing, were it not the girl's hand, but if you enlarge the picture you can see the same white dots on the sleeve as on the rest of the dress.

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  17. What is the pretext that this photo is bichlall of a Chosid.

    Many misnagdishe yiddin had a similar appearance. Take R' Nuchumke Horodner as an example. It is know that some Novahrdikes vistied Lubavitch from time to time.

    So Hirshel, don't wish the unknown upon yourself.

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  18. The fact that COL, a Lubavitcher site, published this picture, leads me to believe that they got it from one of the Chassidishe families, which would make this ancestor a Chossid as well. I could be wrong, but odds are that it was a Chossid, hence the wish.

    If it's someone like Reb Nochum'ke is Eichet nit geferlich.

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  19. Permit me to state the following . All frume Yidden in Czarist Russia dressed in the fashion of this Jew.
    The only exception was in "Congress Poland" where the rebbeim of Ger and Vorka worked out a different approach with the Russian govt.
    Let me add by the late 19th century White Russia and northern Ukraine was full of Yidden who were Migeza Chabad davened Ari etc , but were not chasside chabad per se.
    I also seem to remember reading that Lubavitch itself was inhabited by mostl eylemshe frume Yidden.
    No matter what the man was a frume Yid.
    After the influence of the Alter from Slobodka and others 0 of the Musser school the younger generation of frume Yidden changed into more modern clothing...

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  20. Schneur,

    The old pictures of Voloshiner yeshiva shows boys with hamburg or bowler type hats and slightly trimmed beards. Only a chosid would have a totally untrimmed beard or some rare misnaged.

    How does anyone know that the picture was taken in Lubavitch?

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  21. eylimsher :. many eltere Yidden in Lithuanai at least until the end of the First world war had untrimmed beards. And most of the klei keydesh had such until 1939.
    Just think the Neziv, Reb Nochumke, the Chofetz chaim, rav Kuk, Reb Elchonon, Reb Chaim Ozer, Reb Chaim of Brisk, Reb Simche zelig of Brisk vechuli vechuli.Look at the various picture books of Litvishe Yidden and you will see that amongst frume Yidden many did not trim their beards when they became a bit older (Another example Reb Yankev Lifshitz of Kovna).With the rapid growth and maturity of the Mussar schools the derech of the Alter took hold amongst the yeshiva world.But this came into play only after WW1.

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  22. Ailmesher
    Even in greater Hungary on must Yeshivah pictures the beards looks shaven and trimmed.

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  23. Hungarians shaved their beards long before. That's what the famous תשובת חתם סופר is about where he is mattir it.

    Shneur,

    It is true many Litvishe gedolim and rabbonim did not trim beards. But if you look at those pics from voloshin you will see many trimmed beards.

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  24. Tzig is an atzmius'dike zach this is nisgalgal in every dor, no? :-)

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  25. "I am sure this is why the Alter Rebbe is definitely jealous of a Lakewood Cheder boy--why, its a straight out Gemarah!!!"

    You rascal! Shut your mouth if you know whats good for you. You claim that the Gaon Geonim, the Ba'al HaTanya, knew less than your avrege Lakewoood Cheder boy. If i can say so myself, i'l tell you that the AR gaonus was greater, if not equal to that of the Vilna Gaon .

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