Wednesday, November 11, 2009

bedfellows...


R Mordechai Gross leaving Meron this Hoshana Rabbah. Notice the Aroves the young man is holding, I hear it's the latest craze in Bene Beraq...

A seemingly innocent blurb caught the Tzig's attention. R Mordechai Gross, Rav of Chanichei HaYeshivos, whatever that means, (which yeshivos?) is gonna be in Montreal for Shabbos. He will be the guest of Mr. Hershey Friedman, proprietor of the new Agri in Postville. Here's how "The Shteeble" described him: "Rav Mordechai Gross, Rov of Chanichei Yeshivos in Bnei Brak and dayan of Sheiris Yisroel is widely recognized as one of the young gedolim of the Israeli olam haYeshivos. We will have the merit of having him spend Shabbos Chayei Sara here in Montreal." We can definitely argue that fact, despite the innocuous description the blogger writes. Who decided who's a young gadol? I dare say that even among the Bnei HaYeshivos HaLitoyioys he's not a "gadol." Why just today I asked a very knowledgeable young man, who veiked zich by countless Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva in the Holy Land and he had never heard of RMG. Whatever, that's not the point here. I - not being of the conspiracy theory mindset - find it weird and complex that HF has this relationship with Gross, especially since he pulled Agri out from under the Rubashkins' feet. Rubashkin the Lubavitcher, that is. Obviously Gross had nothing to with this, and I'm not blaming Friedman for Rubashkin's demise, but I could not help myself but wonder about the relationship. Gross' connection to Shearis, which was founded only to counter the Hechsher of Rav Landau is what makes me go hmmm. I doubt most other gevirim in North America have Gross on their Rolodex.

Shoin, genug geplapelt, Hirshel.

22 comments:

Twistelton-Twistelton said...

I have to tell you that HE is a widely acclaimed young godol. His Sefer on Hasovas Aveida is a classic. Now out of print, I have seen numerous Yungalite in Lakewood pay $30 plus to make photo copies of the entire sefer. EVERY yungerman in EY knows who he is.

gershy said...

R'Gross is a Hungarian like yourself, so some respect please.

Now for your claiming that Heshy Friedman pulled "Agri from under the Rubashkins feet".What in heaven are you talking about?!!You claim that you are "not being of the conspiracy theory mindset -", yet you claim Heshy Friedman took Agri?
Agri-_Rubashkin was bankrupt and auctioned off to the highest bidder!!
Friedman had nothing to do with Rubashkins demise.
Whatever.

Anonymous said...

"EVERY yungerman in EY knows who he is."

Not unless you call only about 5% of bnei yeshiva "yungerman". Sorry, but he is not even in the top 30 well known younger rabbonim.

Anonymous said...

he was godol of the month here in lakewood once...

Richard said...

Just for your knowledge from Dei´ah veDibur (5 Cheshvan 5765 - October 20, 2004):"HaRav Ezriel Auerbach, and HaRav Mordechai Gross became members of the Shearis Yisroel beis din last week, at an impressive ceremony held at the home of Maran HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, shlita. The new appointments promise to elevate the Shearis Yisroel kashrus organization, founded by HaRav Shach and HaRav Chaim Shaul Karelitz zt"l."
And:"HaRav Mordechai Gross, av beis din of Chanichei Hayeshivos in Bnei Brak, was among the founders of the Shearis Yisroel kashrus association, together with the late Shearis Yisroel gavad HaRav Chaim Shaul Karelitz, after being nominated by HaRav Shach. HaRav Gross is widely known as one of Bnei Brak's leading poskim and also serves as the rov of Beis Medrash Ohel Tomor (for Yeshivas Ponovezh alumni)."

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

and if Deiah VeDibur says it then it MUST be so....

Richard said...

"and if Deiah VeDibur says it then it MUST be so...." no, but you pretended not knowing who this rav is. So I just gave you some information about him. But I can agree that sometimes it is easier to make up ones mind if one doesn´t know to much...

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

I never pretended not to know him, I questioned his gadol status

Anonymous said...

His Seforim on hil. nidah פרדת שמחה and שיעורי טהרה are regarded as some of the best out there

schneur said...

In todays world everyone learns Shaas no more Eyn Yankev, Mishnayith or Tillim Yidden. So with rabbonim , no more rabbonim , magidim ,More horah, More zedek, everyone is a posek and a gadol and one special person is maranan verabbanan the plural "we". as an elderly talmid chachom from Bnai Brak told me the title rav in Israel is a shem genai it needs hagaon hagadol to be meaningful.

Shraga said...

"I never pretended not to know him, I questioned his gadol status"

Help,help!!
The tzig is mixing me up.You do know him but he is not a godol?You are just questioning his status?You asked an anonymous yingerman who never heard of him and that "proves",what??

Your kool-aid makes you sound silly.
You don't know R'Gross.That's a fact.He or anybody in the Litvishe yeshiva world cannot be a "godol" by defintion,according to you and your "guys" because you are Lubavitch.Simple as that.You are Lubavitch and everyone else is n-o-b-o-d-y.Of course when one still has the mindset that someone who left alma hadein 15 years ago is still Nosi Hador than "arguing" these ponits is kinda pointless

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Gershy

I know he had nothing to do with Rubashkin losing the business, but he did swoop in and buy a distressed business at a fraction of the price. From a fellow frum Yid.

gershy said...

Hirshel,
He "swooped" in and bought something from Bankrupcy Court!Not from Rubashkin if it wasen't him it would be somebody else
To keep up a semblance of objectivity and enable non Lubavitchers to visit your blog and not wonder at this strange Lubavitcher logic *think* before you post.

R'Heshy is one of the biggest baaley tzedokah in this generation.He is not a political person at all! I happen to know him and he is a "makir es mikomo" a very unassuming person.As a young kid he had to start working to help the family out since his father was handicapped(iirc)so he did not get much of a yeshiva education.

Anonymous said...

didn't he make the 2 volumes Oim Ani Choima, its on the level of Boteach book Kosher ... he competes with the old Reb Arele with his graphic discussion on Devorim Shehatzinous yoffe Lo, but as his Landsliet Ungarischers know well, its a subject we love for ill or for will.

Anonymous said...

Twistleton
it seems its a long time since you saw a godol, if you can consider Rav Gross for a godol, he is a talmid chochom Shein Boi Daas

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

I never questioned his tzedokoh giving or his "makir es mekomo." It just happens that he's gonna making a killing off another Jew's tragedy

sort of like buying a foreclosed home from a yid who nebach can't make the payments anymore and keeping it for yourself...

gershy said...

Hirshel,
So you've decided that it's an "avla" to buy a business which is being sold by a bankruptcy court?

Can you back this up? Do you have any Ruv or posek who claims such a thing?
Is it fair to accuse someone based on your own subjective opinion?
*Think*

CR said...

"sort of like buying a foreclosed home from a yid who nebach can't make the payments anymore and keeping it for yourself..."

So you would rather it fell into the hands of some Areil? Or better yet, fell into dilapidation and disrepair so nobody could possibly benefit? Some people are just incapable of maintaining property or running a business in conformance with applicable laws. What inevitably passes in both situations is nobody's fault but their own.

"he competes with ... graphic discussion on ..."

Well, in this day in age SOMEBODY had better discuss the matter. Otherwise the Hamon Am is going to get his information from, uh, "somewhere else".

CR said...

Regarding the original posting itself I think that HF's hands were very much tied, regardless of R' Gross' stature. Figure that HF is a big name among G'virim in the Yeshivishe world. Figure that now, as a major player in the kosher meat marketplace, he has to show his kashrus "cred" in that world. How do you accomplish this? By hosting a prominent member of THE major Heimishe, Yeshivishe hekhsher: Sh'earit Yisrael. Like it or not, you have to play ball with them.

Meanwhile, I am certain that HF knows fully well about Agri's past major revenue sources and is not about to abandon ANaSh. Expect a bone to be thrown in the direction of CH as well in the not-too-distant-future. That is, provided that the BaDaTz of CH can ever get their act together and decide who is really in charge.

Shmuel said...

Lubavitcher,
"Gross' connection to Shearis, which was founded only to counter the Hechsher of Rav Landau is what "

This is a quote from you.I noticed that Rav Gross does not even get the title Reb while you are careful to grant Rav to RavLandau .Whatever.Not going to quibble 'bout that.
What I will quibble about is your insinuation that a group of people HAS to accept the hechsher of Rav Landau.Why is that?Why do they even have to accept him as rov in Bnei Brak?
Your people have the right to their own hechsher in many places so does everyone else.

CR said...

"Your people have the right to their own hechsher in many places so does everyone else."

The issue that many (myself included) have with Sh"Y is that it was founded as an arm of a political party, Degel HaTorah. IOW, what is driving their shitos and piskei din? Politics and not Toras Emes. And there have been far too many instances in which their psak has been established in direct contravention of RMYL Landa solely to "stick it in the eye", so to speak. This is not the M.O. of a valid hashgacha.

Anonymous said...

CR
after boteach do we still need more?