Wednesday, January 26, 2011

A *star* we can all look up to!



Mark me down as one person who's not a fan of "A Jewish Star," the infamous competition that makes every kid and adult think he can sing - which is terrible in and of itself, until three guys in oversized chairs, two of which have no shaychus to neginah, tell them how awful they sound. I think the fact that this is what Lubavitchers and a "non-affiliated, unofficial" website which at the same time is pretty official as far as anybody is concerned, is doing and promoting is a disgrace. The idea that this is what's put on a pedestal for our kids is nothing short of an outrage. Call me intolerant and old-fashioned, see if I care. (and a party pooper too, if you so please.) I would not be surprised if they do a girl's version next year and tell those that have a problem with it "not to watch it..." This year Tzivos Hashem started a similar idea, where children submit videos and the video is then displayed on a certain unofficial Chabad website. I'm not sure what the winner gets, if there is a winner at all. "the power of the Jewish Child, they call it. Most kids submit videos of them singing some "Yeshiva Boys Choir" song that's been beaten to death, but what we have here is refreshingly different, and different in a good way, not the artsy way. I was skeptical about this TH competition, it seemed like more of the same, but what we just saw may be the redeeming factor, if only until the next kid does the standard YBC yelp.

Having said that - despite the fact that AJS is currently in full swing - I will stand up and cheer for Yisrolik Wilhelm - who happens to be my cousin - and tell all of you to do the same. Yisrolik bucked the trend in many ways here. For one, he didn't do the standard YBC tune, there's a lot to be said for that. Just for that he deserves our thanks. But then there's what he DID do, memorize, learn. In the old days it was expected for every bachur to memorize the first 12 perokim of Tanya Ba'al Peh, including the Shaar Blatt and the Hakdomoh, before his Bar Mitzveh. I'm not saying every kid actually did it, but it was expected. Nowadays we're happy if he knows the ma'amar. If he does a pshetel/pilpul in addition to that we're overjoyed. If he leins his parsha as well we're giddy with joy. Imagine the nachas that parents shep if their son learns the 12 perokim ba'al peh! Such is the nachas that Yisrolik's parents have. and we applaud the fact that he went and publicized it because he will influence others that are shayich to it to work hard and do it as well. If this competition was created only for Yisrolik to show the world (this is the world wide web, after all) that it CAN be done, and that the words of Tanya CAN be metaher the avir no matter where we go, DAYENU!

א גרויסן דיינק, ישראל'יק, זאלסט אויפוואקסן און זיין א חסיד, ירא שמים און א למדן

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

I"m sure Srulik and his parents are not so proud of being mechutonim of goats

Pizam said...

Call me a party pooper but I don't chap hispaalus from a young kid parroting a couple of prokim Tanya off by heart.
If anything, Forkosh, Ezra Schochats grandson in 7 th grade, knowing shisho sidrei mishna off by heart is quite impressive.To say the least

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

poop all you want, but I know how much hard work it is.

And until I see some video evidence of the Farkas kid I remain skeptical :-)

Besides, I don't think that was a word for word farher,

pizam said...

Seriously now
Tanya is not something that most adults understand, especially without deep contemplation ,so basically "knowing" it by heart,especiallyfor a young kid is almost worthless.Shisho sidrei mishna is easier and this kid will grow into a real talmud chochom if he continues

Anonymous said...

"two of which have no shaychus to neginah"
Let me guess:The only guy who has shaychus to neginah would be Avremel Fried, right?
The reason you "allow" that he has shaychus is because "only" lubavitchers have shaychus to neginah.
Uh huh.
I get it.végbélnyílás

Der Ruv said...

"If anything, Forkosh, Ezra Schochats grandson in 7 th grade, knowing shisho sidrei mishna off by heart is quite impressive.To say the least"

I was very bothered by the big deal made over that child's memorizations of the shisha sidrei mishna.

Whereas it is a huge accomplishment, and the child should be proud, it does the rest of the kids a huge disservice.

It's understood that most 7th graders do not have the ability to memorize even one masechta ba'al peh, let alone the entire shisha sidrei mishna. It is clear that this child has an abnormal ability to memorize; perhaps a photographic memory, or something similar.

When other children hear the big deal made by this child's memorizing the shisha sidrei mishna, and they can barely remember a few mishnayos, they often give up. Why bother, if their hard work and effort will barely register in comparison to this other child's memorization of the entire mishnayos?! (I'm not saying that the child in question did not work hard, but this is clearly not something within the realm of possibility for other 7th graders.)

...and this is also related to the way we praise people with OCD for being medakdik in mitzvos, and take other such abnormal behaviors (whether positive or negative) and make a big deal about them.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

very touchy people we have here.

I was speaking about last year's judges, TWO of which were Lubavitchers, if not all of them. I don't recall who the 3rd one was. I put Pellin in the no shaychus category too. Fried has shaychus to neginah because that's what he's been doing for 30 years, you dimwit.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

but I can count on people like you to take one word out of the whole post and make a tzimmes out of it, when that's besides the point.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

oh! I almost forgot:

csók a seggem, hülye

Anonymous said...

Nézd meg a nyelvet, Tzig.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Néha meg kell mondani ezeknek az embereknek az anyanyelven

boris said...

O you magyars with your tumene shprach, o I forgot mgyars are allowed to talk sfas hamedina-gutter talk.
When I was incheder we started memorizing mishnayos in 3rd grade. Many boys did r"h taanis and suka of not more, ... It can be done with proper focus and effort. Imfarginers.
Agav having the girls compete online is a great idea, we already have youtube flooded with the girls school performances and wedding dancing... Shanda

dovy said...

wilhelm? from torah vadas wilhelms? i didn't know you were mishpucha with rav belsky!

Anonymous said...

For all of u who don't get it:
It says in the sefer hayom yom seven times the idea of taharas ha'avir thru saying ba'al peh mishna, tanya, tehillim. This kid is showing how he is doing this wherever he goes.
This is a gr8 video, and I wish they would show it to all the kids in chabad schools.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Dovy

related, but distant.

I think Reb Binyomin was a 1st cousin to my elter zeide.

is Rabbi Belsky a son-in-law to Reb Binyomin Wilhelm's son?

stokholm koolaid said...

U related yet u were the one bashegetzing Belsky for his very honest remarks to Mishpacha.
Same with Sakmar, u are related to the TeitelT's yet u always seek to bashmitz them.
Typical Stokholm syndrome.
U'd sell your mother E down the river for schneerson, if u could

Bezalel said...

Who is Rabbi Wilhelm from Minneapolis who has a torah video every week on ch.info?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

stokholm (sic)

I did not know that Belsky was related at that time. I give you my word. As far as the Teitelbaums go; they're related to Lubavitch - the current ones are - so I guess they too suffer from "stokholm" syndrome, right?

What about all the Rebbes that are BROTHERS, not 3rd cousins, that fight and go to court? Do they too suffer from this syndrome that you so love?

stokholm koolaid (sic) said...

U have nothing to gain bashmitzing teitel or belsky,u r just a lowly foot soldier for the schnneerson suicide brigade the other fights are about $$$ and power.
*






*wow u actually know to spell stokholm (sic)

stokholm koolaid (sic) said...

Btw i don't give a flying fig about the teitel teicheseh, just find it very kool-aidy when a relative joins the fray to attack

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

"teicheseh"

I see...

Anonymous said...

Yes
"techeseh" (sic)

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Rabbi Wilhelm from Minnesota is not related. They're Hungarian (gasp!)

The Yisrolik Wilhelm family is Polish. The patriarch, Reb Nachman Yosef ben Nachman Yosef was a ben-bayis by Reb Elya Chaim Meisel of Lodz - was raised by him, actually - and went to Eretz Yisroel as a pre-bar Mitzvah child.

Anonymous said...

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the Shulchan Aruch HoRav paskens that Torah shebaal peh that is learnt without any understanding does not have a din of torah. The words are not the point of the Torah, only the meaning behind them. Therefore this seems like an exercise in futility.

Belzer Blotteh said...

halevai zoll men me'fal'pel zein oyf meine kinder tzi zei B'emes kennen Shisha Sidrei Mishna B"P.

Shliach said...

It's always fun to see people start spouting from their beicher (oifn bestn oifn) about topics like this. For historical perspective, the Frierdiker Rebbe told Chassidim to chazer the 12 perakim tanya baal peh with the hakdamah. The Rebbe told many chassidim to chazer Tanya baal peh while walking in the street, he himself did it, and the Rebbe suggested this as a tikkun for certain inyonim. What's the point of mishnayos baal peh without understanding? Would a person have no benefit when he gets older of knowing Tanya baal peh? You're not supposed to make arguments against an idea that couldn't as easily be asked about your point of view.

Anonymous said...

Shaliach
"What's the point of mishnayos baal peh without understanding"
the Alter Rebbe writes in hilchas talmud torah that torah shebal Peh has to be understood

grainom said...

if u chazer something baal peh long enough as a child, when you relearn it as an adult you will have a headstart to understanding/learning it be'eyun. i am maskim that if you "read" chitas at 50 like you did when you were 15 its almost a waste of time as far as the alter rebbe is concerned regarding havonas hatora, there is another elemnt of kedusha and limud hatorah from just saying words and agav saying dvorim shebikdusha even with zero havana is better than bittul tora/ lashoin hora/ machshava zara etc

Parizer said...

Let me ask you something:
This is an article from COL about some kinnus honoring yingehleit who finished an innovative course of teaching talmud to kids established by a Lubavitcher named Webber.Choshuveh Litvishe Rabbonim came including R'Aharon Leib Shteinman.
Question:Are Lubavitchers so out of touch that the leading chabad new-site can't even get his name right?
He is known to all as Aharon(yehuda) Leib not yehuda leib.
I"ve noticed that chabad sites get many details about other groups wrong.Another example was the names of the non Lubavitcher rabbonim that attended Brauns acceptance.They did not correctly identify the Boorshtiner for example

Anonymous said...

Parizer
Between me and you, who is Rav Stienman, a magid shiur in a yeshiva ketana a good jew that is not out to hurt no one. Is he the new Brisker Ruv or the Chazon Ish? I am not minimizing his erlichkiet,being a non farbisener yid, non partisan godal shows that he has some Middos. But the Ayeles hashachar is mediocoe stuff.

Parizer said...

Anonymous,
Actually I think that Rav Shteinman is a godol beyisroel, sai in learningandsai in middos.Who said he was the new Chazon Ish?

The point however had nothing to with that.COL, had an article where they got his name wrong a couple of times AND every kid in Eretz Yisroel knows his name