Monday, February 8, 2010

What's Rabbi Twerski Running From?



If you watched the clip from living Torah, where at 1:45 and on Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski is seen "going for a dollar" with some of his family members, you may have wondered: What is Rabbi Twerski running from? He seems very uncomfortable, as if he'd rather not be here. He presents his eyniklach and basically looks for the door. I see it as his first meeting with the Rebbe, which is surprising, with him being an eynikel of the Mitteler and Alter Rebbes, and with him being "in Golus in Chabad" in Pittsburgh for so many years. The Rebbe makes light of the situation, by making Rabbi Twerski a Tura, a mountain, who's entrenched in his place of work and does not move. Twerski, on the other hand, never bothers to answer why he's never been there before; Chassidisher Shtoltz, I guess. I imagine there's a story behind it and I'd like to know what it is.

Anonymous writes:

I viewed the clip. I do not notice him rushing for the door. While I have never been to receive a dollar from the Rebbe ZT”L, I heard descriptions many times of the long lines. He did much as I also do. When there are people waiting, he takes as little time as possible to enable the next person to go. He could have easily spent longer, and could have also had “yechidus” had he chosen to do so. But under the circumstances, he took as little of the Rebbe’s time as possible. No discomfort, no rushing to leave. As to not having been there before, that is inaccurate. He had been to yechidus with the Rebbe numerous times. He also lived in Pittsburgh, and his travels did not always take him to Crown Heights with time to spare. There were many communications, mostly indirect, for many years. All the while, he was not a Lubavitcher chossid, but very far from being a stranger or an unknown to the Rebbe ZT”L. Sorry, no juicy story here.

P.S. – I am an eyewitness to his having yechidus with the Rebbe in 1963 (approximately).

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

I viewed the clip. I do not notice him rushing for the door. While I have never been to receive a dollar from the Rebbe ZT”L, I heard descriptions many times of the long lines. He did much as I also do. When there are people waiting, he takes as little time as possible to enable the next person to go. He could have easily spent longer, and could have also had “yechidus” had he chosen to do so. But under the circumstances, he took as little of the Rebbe’s time as possible. No discomfort, no rushing to leave.

As to not having been there before, that is inaccurate. He had been to yechidus with the Rebbe numerous times. He also lived in Pittsburgh, and his travels did not always take him to Crown Heights with time to spare. There were many communications, mostly indirect, for many years. All the while, he was not a Lubavitcher chossid, but very far from being a stranger or an unknown to the Rebbe ZT”L. Sorry, no juicy story here.

P.S. – I am an eyewitness to his having yechidus with the Rebbe in 1963 (approximately).

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

I wasn't necessarily expecting a "juicy" story, my friend. But thanks for clarifying the details for us!

Twistelton-Twistelton said...

Well if he came to the Rebbe previously, I guess the Rebbe DIDN'T have a perfect memory, as he needed to be told who it was!!! Not an attack, just trying to burst some ballons.

Anonymous said...

Twisty.
The rebbe is perfect!!!
So is Goat!

berl, crown heights said...

I am an eyewitness to his having yechidus with the Rebbe in 1963 (approximately)

What nonsense! It is quite clear from the vidio that the Rebbe has never met him before and that he has not met the Rebbe.

snagville said...

This is going to be Aidus Masiach Lfi Tumo as I watched the video before reading HT's comments on it and I HAD EXACTLY THE SAME THOUGHTS! a) He seems to be running b)uncomfortable c) the Rebbe is clearly Munning him for either not coming at all or not coming enough. I assume point C answers A&B. there must have been a reason he didn't come for a while. He figured he would hear something about it from the Rebbe and was hoping to avoid uncomfortable conversation. We have all been there (B'H not actually 770, I mean trying to avoid someone or something). and it's never fun. As far as comment 1 from anonymous, is it just my cynical Litvishe Snag mind or does there always seem to be some anonymous Chabadsker who happened to see any possible scenario and could give Aidus (and to something from 50 years ago yet!) Zaidy, get off the internet! LOL.

snagville said...

HT,
Where could I see more clips like that? I found it utterly fascinating and loved the Rebbe's line about Twerski's Ainekelech never needing his expertise (I think this too relates to your post. I think it was his way of telling him he knew exactly who he is).

Anonymous said...

Who gives a flying fig if Twrsky met the self annointed before or not?

Anonymous said...

Bere,
How is it quite clear from the "vidio" that Twersky never met him before???

Another "all knowing" genius

yehupitz said...

Tzig, Berl, I think you're both off the mark here. I think Groner was just saying the name as he probably always did, for someone the Rebbe hadn't seen in a while. As a purely factual matter, R Dr. Twersky gave an interview to Chaim Dalfin that is published in Dalfin's book with the light blue cover. In the interview, he speaks of (at least) one in-person encounter in which the Rebbe asked him to move to New York. Also, the Rebbe's line about not seeing him for a long while doesn't mean they've never met! Farkert, it's a "long time no see" kind of line. You don't tell someone you've never just met "I'm going to Australia next week." I thought it was clear that they HAD met before.

I noticed the (slight) discomfort and attributed it to the rush of dollars and a gentle nervousness people sometimes have when meeting people they respect.

Zalman Shimon said...

"As a purely factual matter, R Dr. Twersky gave an interview to Chaim Dalfin that is published in Dalfin's book with the light blue cover."

Factual??
Lmao!
Yehupi,thought you were busier and more intelligent than reading chasidishe Harry Potter

berl, crown heights said...

anon 3:57:00 PM,
my "video" typo is the best argument you can come up with? keep trying, better luck next time

Anonymous said...

Bere,
Do you think I spend my time trying to debate arrogant fools?

Anonymous said...

Rabbi Dr Twerski knows Chabad and unfortunately knows that although having a deep respect for the Rebbe, it is another case of Chabad not understanding how an 'out of town' chasid could survive and bring up frummer children and grandchildren without needing Lubavich ....

Anonymous said...

I personally spoke with R' Twersky about his meeting(s) with the Rebbe. It was well before this clip.

He was not uncomfortable here. He knows he could have spent as much time with the Rebbe as he wanted to. He was just being respectful of all of the other people still waiting on line. He is that kind of person.

yehupitz said...

zalman Shimon, I do not understand your cynicism. The interview is a fact. You can dispute feelings and perspectives, but the fact is that R Dr Twersky said what he said.

berl, crown heights said...

"He was not uncomfortable here. He knows he could have spent as much time with the Rebbe as he wanted to. He was just being respectful of all of the other people still waiting on line. He is that kind of person."

That is the feeling I got from the tape as well. Besides, you do not shlep yourself and your einiklach somewhere where you are 'uncomfortable' to be. You just don't bother going. Rabbi Twersky is a man of influence who does much needed work in the Jewish community; he is a relative to boot – he could have had easily arranged a yehidus as well. In this video it is clear that he just did not want to delay the line. (As it is clear from everything the Rebbe said, from Rabbi Groner's introduction and from Rabbi Twersky's own words and body language that he has not met the Rebbe before in person).

Anonymous said...

After this piece was aired 2 weeks ago the rumors started flying in lubab circles as to why he never/rarely came to the Rebbe. First he had a very close relationship with Sholom Posner and Yechezkel Deren in Pitts. At every deren wedding he did some badchunos which is rarely done in chabad circles and they had him do it as a token of friendship. It seems the dalfin story is the correct version and he felt uncomfortable meeting with the Rebbe after declining to follow the Rebbe's advice.

Anonymous said...

Lets face it. Rabbi Twerski respected the Rebbe for his great work, especially in outreach and guiding the youth of America, but as as a Rebbe, he knew that there were others with better connections in shumayim.

His rich ancestry and knowledge of the inner family workings or behind the scenes to which he had accecss from Skver to Rachmatrivka to Bobov to Chabad is not easily matched. His living in the outside world does not mean he is MO - even living in NJ.

As much as you guys think you knew the Rebbe, there is nothing like family. That is why the Rebbe got such good medical attention after his heart attack, but when he had no family left, the most mekushar chasidim did nothing but fight, officially over who could provide best medical care, off the records, who would get control after the Rebbe was niftar.

The Rebbe and R' Twerski were family and they had connections well beyond written letters which would be read and anwered by Binyamin Klein.

Why does every Chabadsker think they know everything about the Rebbe but every other group knows how little they understand about their manhig ????

Where is the bitul guys ????

Let us not make R' Twerski out to be a 'kal' his humility and easy going nature hide a well spring of chassidus and avoidas hashem....sorry he doesn't tell everyone about it and make trips to R' Shteinman like Reb Yoel. His bitul and lack of gaave don't allow it....

Anonymous said...

Spooky, he did move to NY (Monsey), but only after his wife died and he remarried.

Josh said...

If you cannot get over who did what by dollars with the last rebbe, how will you choose a new rebbe?

nonmouse said...

ayin b'sefer malchus shlomo, from his brother zt"l.

surprise awaits you

Anonymous said...

I went for dollars many times and watched countless hours of Sunday dollars, and this IMHO was nothing out of the ordinary. Matter of fact, it seemed like genuine Chassidishe anova, not wanting to stand there with some self serving aggrandizement purpose, talking about his work, publications and all his great and wondrous accomplishments, as others were prone to do. On the contrary, it seemed like he has a true Chassisdishe hergesh, to come and hear and be gebentched and not farkert.

dov said...

"ayin b'sefer malchus shlomo, from his brother zt"l."

Can you explain?

Anonymous said...

B.H. To say he could have arranged a Yechiuds is not factually correct because at the time this video happaned it would have been kimat impossible to arrange a private yechiuds unless the Rebbe asked for it.

Anonymous said...

As being one of the grandchildren in this video let me try to set things straight. I myself was brought to the Rebbe twice by my grandfather. My grandfather did have a yechidus with the Rebbe in the sixties of which he has told me about numerous times. The Rebbe new very well who he was as my grandfather was one of the leaders of the Chabad community in Pittsburgh for many years. I myself remember one of the Rebbe's gaboim calling the house a few years before in response to a question sent by mail. For some reason the person who brought us in chose to introduce him although I don't think it was at all necessary. My grandfather rushed out because he did want to take away from the time of the hundreds of other people waiting to see the Rebbe. I have seen him do this at numerous Gedolie Yisroel to allow for others to have a chance in the small time there is to see them. He did not come to discuss anything with him. He came to get a bracha and to bring his grandchildren to see a big Tzaddik. I hope this clarifies the situation so that you can all stop speculating about this

kool-aid police said...

To the dunce who runs this blog and "sees it all".
Will we see a discussion here on R'Yossel Gutnicks demand from R'Tzvi Telsner to remove the offending sign claiming the Rebbe is alive in the main Lubavitch shul in Melbourne,Yeshiva Centre??
I"m not going to hold my breath because there are more "pressing issues" for dunces, such as why two now deceased rebbes used to vacation in Miami.

Friendly anonymous said...

Why on Hashem's snowed-under earth would anyone discuss Yossel's opinion on anything?

Bifrat that he built himself a mikdash m'at down under, and doesn't need the "main Lubavitch shul".

Anonymous said...

No mention.
Typical of a kool-aided lubob

Anonymous said...

To the Anonymous Grandchild:

Which Grandchild are you? HaGaon R' Yisroel of Lakewood, R' Chaim the Rebbe of Tolmetch, or CR, the Rebitzen of the West Bank?

Anonymous said...

The fact that you did not publish any of the article about meshichistn in Australia proves that Chabad is based on lies and money making like the Christian Church and has littel to do with the emes.

I dare you to edit it as you will and publish it or are you scared that if you come out too anti meshichist you are can no longer be considered Chabad !

chazkle said...

A mechaye gedolah. Chochom dai lo birmizoh. They knew each other very well.
Romez

Anonymous said...

It looks fairly obvious to me that he is smiling because the Rebbe is kidding him, and they both enjoy it.
I hope I will know my name when I have to, but in the meantime probably do not. So, will have to remain anonymous. Please forgive.Very sweet video.