Sunday, November 21, 2010

zeh leUmas zeh...


A siyum of sefer nefesh haChayim in Chazon Yechezkel...

Go figure.

It's cute to see that happen right before Yud Tes Kislev. After all, NH was written only to counter the sefer HaTanya. It's not clear to us how long it took to complete the sefer and if the Maggid Shiur was the Mashgiach Reb Dov himself or not. Chassidim the world over welcome this and are excited by it. The fact that Reb Shmuel Auerbach, who shtams from Chassidim, is the guest speaker at this event, presumably as the great Litvak, only adds to the amusement.

Abi m'redt fun'em Eybershten.

Then there's this - which is, whatever. It's ironic that these same people laugh at the fact that we celebrate 19 Kislev so many years later, and so much more so the fact that Rosh Chodesh Kislev is remembered. Yet I guess when the cause is to raise - much needed - funds for Mosdos haTorah then it's allowed. I guess that's the point? They do it to raise money, we do it to raise what? Maybe if we made a big dinner we'd be accorded that right and privilege? I should bring it up at the next board meeting of Chabad, Inc.


It's good to see the second volume finally on it's way...


Mr. Pulaski is proud of his complex...


There those Lubabs go again! Stealing the spotlight from erliche Yidden...

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

OH. This is so up your alley. G-d looks out for you.

Where is the link for this? This, admitatly, is a little akward. Who made the siyum, who learned it with who, how long did it take?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

it was in the Bakehilla magazine

truthfully I'm getting a little tired of the bashing and the poking fun, but in this business you need fillers sometimes :-)

Anonymous said...

"The fact that Reb Shmuel Auerbach, who shtams from Chassidim"

I feel the hate!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

HT, look at the bright side. Us Snags wouldn't know about this siyum without you. It gives us inspiration that people actually learned Befesh Hachaim biyun (presumably), or at all. I don't know where, in the US of A, one can find a good Nefesh Hachaim shiur. Maybe R. Matisyahu gives one, but it probably has a practical and l'maysadikeh spin (Chabad influence?). I know Avrumi Shcorr gives one, once a week. But his head is spinning with so many ideas from the Peylisheh seforim... we also don't know his background in KABALLAH.

In Israel, R. Hillel gives NH shiur to the public. They say that everyone needs to learn these things (crave it).... or else, we might end up by the Chassidim.

Anonymous said...

Tzig or any of the readers:

Do you know about the new sefer that is called (I forgot the actuall name) "Chasidus for beginners" in Hebrew, which goes-through Kabalistic yesodot needed for proper understanding of the seforim. The format is interesting. Who is the author (he is no longer with us)? I think he was a friend/associate of R. Daniel Frish from Meah Shearim. It seems to me that this handbook is popular. By who? Is this a good sign or it's a bizayon, because thirty years ago, there was no need for such a sefer? Or there always was a need, but it wasn't acknowledged? Is this sefer helpful? What type of "sifrey Chasididus" is it an intro to?

Anonymous said...

Is it known exactly who denounced the Alter Rebbe to the authorities?

Anonymous said...

The Snags, obviously.
Avigdor etc,..

Anonymous said...

Rav Shcorr to you gives one, once a week. But his head is spinning with so many ideas from the Peylisheh seforim and therfore?
we also don't know his background in KABALLAH sure you do his father and the Polish Seforim
Great shiur I Highly suggest it

Anonymous said...

Anon
is it Sifsie Chien? from Reb Shmuel Kraus?

grainom said...

There those Lubabs go again! Stealing the spotlight from erliche Yidden...

as long as you know the truth...

Anonymous said...

I remember the Thursday nite Tanya shiur in Rabbi Blech's basement in Lakewood. Packed to the Rafters with BMG boys thirsting for a word of Chasidus

Isaac Balbin said...

I don't think י’ט כסלו creates the problems per se.
The problems are created because there is a tendency to speak about every date and occurrence at every opportunity and as a result it blurs them all into one wave of propaganda.

My son's school had a publication last week which mentioned י’ט כסלו but what else did it do? It wrote that this is also the day that the Alter Rebbe's son was freed from his "imprisonment" in the Church. This sort of propaganda only harms Chabad because it's also known to be untrue, and even if true, surely pales into comparative insignificance.

Then you read or hear at a Simcha that tonight is the day that a son-in-law of the Tzemach Tzedek did this or that. Spare me! There are lots more significant things and sometimes תפסת מרובה לא תפסת

This bites even more when the date that the State of Israel (yes "State" and not "Eretz") was established (with or without any messianic overtone) is basically ignored! היתכן?

Sorry, but this also extends to celebrating the birhtday of the brother of the mother of the father of the Rebbetzin of the whoever. It's way too self-indulgent for me.

Anonymous said...

Tzig's Spinka upbringing won't let him forgive R' Yoel for the pre-wr fight...

Chaim Yankel said...

issac
have you ever seen the google homepage...just in case you need ideas of what to celebrate...
listen, if the yiddishkeit you give your kids is without any life , they'll find it in other places, don't worry

snag said...

What hachonos are you making for your forthcoming Rosh Hashonoh? Saying selichos?

ווי אזוי קען מען האבען א ראש השנה אהן א יום כיפור?

And how can you Lubavs have your big BP new year's party on motzei Shabbos, two days after your Hassidic new year?? At least the Satmar have their shindig on the proper day, כא כסלו, bey bayeym. Do you blow sheyfar two days after Rosh Hashonoh??

Isaac Balbin said...

Chain Yankel,
I don't have a problem with auspicious days ... How does eliding inauspicious days however turn into "without life"?

Anonymous said...

isaac you have a richtige tayne the only problem is that lubabs are only copying the rebbe who IGNORED the day hei iyyor and yet made a big deal of all this seemingly unimportant days

Anonymous said...

Snag,
Chabad BP are turning into Amshinovers we blow Shofar 2 days later

Anonymous said...

Snag,
the Rema finishes the Shulchan Orech "Vetoiv Lie Mishta Tomid" a farbrengen is always good.

shimon said...

"What hachonos are you making for your forthcoming Rosh Hashonoh? Saying selichos?"


No, Actually we're just finishing our siyum on Pushkin....we tried to finish it for the auspicies day of Beis Kislev lokovod der yom hilula but we were busy farbrengen on rosh chodesh so we had to push it off a couple of weeks.

friendly Anonymous said...

Snag,

Thursday is already a yom tov, and ein mearvin simcho besimcho

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

and yet Reb Hershele Spinker forgave the Satmar Rov and became his big chossid! go figure

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Anonymous said...
I remember the Thursday nite Tanya shiur in Rabbi Blech's basement in Lakewood. Packed to the Rafters with BMG boys thirsting for a word of Chasidus

did Reb Yoel Kahan give those shiurim? can you tell us more about them? and why did Rabbi Blech allow the shiur? was he close to Chabad?

Thanks

Isaac Balbin said...

Yes, I know they ignore Hey Iyyar because the Rebbe zt"l did so, but that doesn't make me understand why they focus on days (and I'm talking about things like the Birthday of the Mitteler Rebbe and similar) which to an objective outsider pale into insignificance when compared to Hey Iyyar.

I have heard he described Hey Iyyar as a "Gluska Yoffo" but I don't understand that comment either.

Yelamdenu Rabenu.

Anonymous said...

Issac Balbin
The Rebbes views regarding the modern state was not as the Satmar Rovs or the Reshabs that it has a problem of transgressing the 3 oaths, his problem was Akiras hadas on a vicious system by the early Israeli Governments, He compared the Zionist phenomenon to the words of the Rambam in the end of Sefer Hayd regarding Christianity( I heard that the Brisker Rov said the same)that some good points we have, but it is basically bad.

Anonymous said...

issac
you write "but that doesn't make me understand why they focus on days (and I'm talking about things like the Birthday of the Mitteler Rebbe and similar) which to an objective outsider pale into insignificance when compared to Hey Iyyar."
the only problem is that to the rebbe these were not insignificant chances are he had connections up there and as he said 100's of times " והימים האלו נזכרים ונעשים" that these are days of עת רצון while hay iyyar is not

LkwdGuy said...

and why did Rabbi Blech allow the shiur? was he close to Chabad?

I don't know the answer but mistam he held that its not trei ivrah denaharah.

Isaac Balbin said...

The reality is, and was, while the Rebbe was alive, that Hey Iyyar was and is a most significant day as, in the least, it signified the opportunity for so many people to simply have a safe haven and home. I won't even mention the fact that more people learn Torah there than at any time before.

I do not understand how this can be ignored in the manner that it is.

When a person has a birthday, I am sure a Chabadnik would join in that celebration even if that person was currently "not so good" and had lots to improve. Why? Because the Chabadnik would look at the potential in the future. I do not understand how the birth of a State is any different UNLESS one sees it as the work of the Sitra Achra and derived from Avos HaTuma (rachmono litzlan)