Sunday, March 14, 2010

As if from heaven...


א "מיטגעמאכטער" איד, בלע"ז

You know me, I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I tell you some of what's on my mind, just like I told you how I feel about the no hespedim minhag in Lubavitch. You guys are like family to me, or maybe even more than family. I doubt I tell my family as much as I tell you. Anyway, so today after Krias HaTeyreh, while the announcements are dragging on, a yungerman tells me how he once was at a levaya in KJ, where in the pouring rain the hespedim were dragging on and on. He's a paramedic who works for the KJ Hatzoloh and he was assigned the levaya by his employer. The levaya was not for some RaSHKeBeHaG, but you wouldn't know it from the way they were giving out hespedim like they were kibbudim at a bris... On and on they wept, all the while the women were outside in a driving rainstorm. After a while the medic realized that an elderly woman was about to faint. He did what he had to do and "made an end" to the shindig like only he could. I see that as an answer to my question of why there are no hespedim or stam reyd for a niftar in Chabad today. I'm sure it'll bother be at the next levaya, may there not be any, but for now I have a shtikkel "nechomoh."

20 comments:

Yerachmiel Lopin said...

Tzig,


This is unrelated to this post. I saw a great source for you to mine for photos. You may already know about. But if not, Yaffa Eliach organized a photo exhibit which is part of the National Holocaust museum of her shtetl, Eyshenshok, an hours walk from Radun. In fact the Chofetz Chaim and Chaim Ozer both studied in Eyshenshok's kibutz haperushim for several years as well as Isaac Reines.

Anyways, she has a book that goes well beyond the exhibit in comprehesively covering the town. It is a wonderful book in many ways. It is especially wonderful for its photos. I am sure you can find the title. But if not, email me and I will send it to you.

Anonymous said...

You could have written a completely different post. In the world outside of Chabad, people actually care about their levayas; whose gonna attend, graveside or chapel, rain or snow, dancing or no dancing. Especially what the maspidim are going to say; is it going to be a canned generic hespid or is going to be something original? Is it going to sound like a Sheva Brachot and a Brit or is it going to be memorable? These are very important considerations and some subconsiously prepare their whole lives for this - it is a great source of motivation, which Chabad lacks.

Also, at the hesped, especially by the Snaggs, the maspid makes sure to speak about himself. "We learnt first seder for 50 years and he only missed on the day of his third daughter's wedding. we learnt b'ritiphus". Or, "when I was the only one in the beis midrash at three in the morning - when I got up - I noticed he was also there". These moments of recognition and glory keep many a Snag going. Chabad people don't have this; no wonder Chabad looks like it does.

On a serious note, Snag levayos can be very inspiring. Maran's hesped of Reb Mayseh, "Teyreh, Teyreh, chogeres sak" made a royshem. Especially when he spoke about Reb Mayse's father who was a famous unuv.

They are also a good outlet. Chabad doesn't need it; they have התועדות or how ever you are calling that in Ivrit.

dovy said...

anyone know what happened to Not Brisk? his blog is down :(

oldtimer said...

so not brisk bites the dust . Tzig any info what happened there ?I loved the way these 2 sites complimented each other

Isaac Balbin said...

Hirshel, one doesn't need to adopt extremes. Perhaps the Chabad approach is one extreme and the one you relayed is another. The middle road might do?

Anonymous said...

nechomas shoitim for chief dufus

Joe in Australia said...

Lehavdil, a galach and a rabbi are chatting and the galach says "Rabbi, I don't mean any offense, but I was passing your cemetery while there was a burial going on. The whole place was muddy, the women were screaming, the poor little orphan had to recite a long prayer, it was just embarrassing. When we do a funeral service it's in the church, everyone is seated, there are candles, solemn music, everyone comes and pays their respects quietly, and then we sing a hymn. It's so much more dignified."

"I can't disagree," replied the rabbi, "I'd much rather go to one of yours than one of ours ..."

Anonymous said...

Something in the Lubob water that makes Schneersohns followers dumb??
Just wondering.
Hey, when is the birthday party???

rebcharles said...

My question is: Why the Koilos and Bechiyos for a niftar in the first place?
The Neshama accomplished what it needed to, we think that it is in a better place than This World.

All the weeping seems to be very self-centered, not keeping on eye on the big picture.
It is strange to see such emotional outburst, especially for a 90-year old who mitche't the last few years of life.
Hespeidim have a ta'am of , Since the niftar was great, we, who are related to them, must be great too.

anon1 said...

Re Not Brisk: can't say I miss him. He had some interesting postings, but - at first gradually and then full-speed - degenerated into worthless rants against Chabad, RYBS and YU. Never had the guts to admit his errors or correct them When confronted with hard questions - never responded or did so with total non-sequiturs.Eventually he posted explicitly or implicitly jaundiced and hateful rants which (to give hom the benefit of doubt) served no other purpose than to provoke readers and elicit responses to raise his "ratings" of numerous comments. I have no patience for people who lack the slightest commitment to truth, and live in a one-dimensional box of 'my way or the highway.' So if his blog is dead - I proclaim a joyful boruch Dayan ho'emes.

russian chusid said...

It is not only a Chabad approach not to speak at haspeidim.

All Russians do not- and pretty firm about it.

Anonymous said...

The Yid in the picture looks like Pinya Korf having a bad day. Anon 7:32- well said .

The Bray of Fundie said...

see here
http://innate-differences.blogspot.com/2010/03/death-in-family.html

and here
http://innate-differences.blogspot.com/2010/03/hesped-in.html


for some nice things about NB

Anonymous said...

what makes a blog go down? you have to offend the Google guys? just asking?

The Bray of Fundie said...

No. He closed it himself. he did not just stop blogging he closed it in a way that his old posts and archives are no longer accesible.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Yerachmiel

thanks for the heads up, but scanning photos from books is way too time consuming and is done only in dire circumstances, such as when no photos are available on the net.

schneur said...

I never heard of a lashon or word in Yiddish called "mitgemachte", certainly not used in Lithuanian_White Russian Yiddish. It does not appear in Weinreich' dictionary either.
Was it used in Bishtina or Pishpik Lodony ? It certainly was not used in Klimowitz or Nevel.
We use "oysgemutchete" . Now try that on !!

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

received via IM:

tell Schneur that מיטגעמאכטע appears 108 times on google.

I heard it from a Marmuresher Yid not two weeks ago when he spoke about himself.

"איך בין א מיטגעמאכטער איד"

AMSHINOVER said...

i was at my buubas levya where the yeshivisha punk (my cousin) said about my grandmother, in a bald face lie
" the bubby made matzas in Auschwitz,
she got water and snuck out for mehl (flour) and made matzas so she shouldnt be pesach without matzas"
not only did the bubba never tell anyone this story.
I had one question for the maspid umm if the bubba got out of Auschwitz YTF did she sneak back in !!??????!?!?!?

Sammy said...

Amshinover,
Watch your language