Thursday, April 14, 2011

ר' אברהם'ס יארצייט

[ A Guest book review on his biography - by Schneur, in honor of Reb Avrohom's 20th Yohrtzeit, 10 Nissan. ]

with the Rebbe, zy"a, 5750

Every once in a while an important and unusual book appears on the scene. We are familiar with books that are biographies of famous Rabbonim and gedolim.These have become common place in our days. These are published in Hebrew and English. While they are at times criticized for playing with history, they do an important service in serving as Mussar seforim and showing how great Jews lived their lives and devoted themselves to Avodath hashem. Lubavitch has also been blessed with many biographical studies both of the 7 Rebbes and of individual chassidim. Most of these have appeared in Hebrew and have not been fully appreciated by the reader not at ease with Hebrew. The book under review is a first it is written in an excellent English and portrays an important personage in 20th century Lubavitch history. Years ago a friend of mine who is a devout Bobover chasid told me that as a teenager older Bobover chassidim told him to go over to 770 during Yamim Tovim and see how the elder Lubavitcher "hoben farbracht". The older Chosid referred to these men as the talmidei haBesht. Indeed they were such! Indeed these men were the talmidim of the Rashab and many of them spent years in the Soviet Union where they practiced Judaism under the worst of conditions.

Rabbi Avrohom Drizin, known as Avrohom Mayorer, was an unusual chosid indeed; that he was not only a chosid of all 3 Lubavitcher Rebbes in the 20th century, but also excelled in all 3 areas of Jewish service. If the Rebbe stressed an inyon Reb Avrohom was there to implement this inyon. Indeed he was a major league lamdan who served as a Rosh Yeshiva in the Central Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Nevel. He was a devoted Oved hashem and chasid. he spent long hours at prayer and studying chassiduth. He was also as mentioned mekushar to the Lubavitcher Rebbes of his time. In the years of persecution in the Soviet Union , he also excelled in gemillas chassadim, practicing "Eys La'asos lashem hefeiru torasecho". He became a pillar of chessed, and gemmillas Chesed to the Chabad community in the Soviet union. He was not a "zaddik in Peltz" but cared about his fellow man and Jews. But his service was not limited to the spiritual and personal level, for years he acted as the director of the Lubavitcher yeshivos in the Soviet union and made sure these schools and their students had food, and the proper material items needed for their survival. This at great personal cost. In fact Reb Avrohom was a one man communal institution representing Chabad in the Soviet Union.

 




At a farbrengen in Israel, 1950's


Later Reb Avrohom came to Israel where he helped build the yeshiva in KFAR CHabad, and in fact helped build Kfar Chabad itself serving in many executive and spiritual positions. In the US Reb Avrohom became the symbol of a true Chabad chasid, someone devoted to the Chabad community, to his Rebbe and to the legacy of Chabad. This volume explores all these facets of Reb Avrohom's life and much more. We learn about his family back ground and his home town of Mayor in White Russia, We learn about the social and cultural conditions that shaped his early personality and that sent him to study in the Lubavitcher yeshiva in Lubavitch. We aslo learn about his father in law, Rabbi Zalman Moshe HaYitzchaki who was a "farzaitike" Lubavitcher chasid whose farbrengungs are legendary. Though not a Tamim, Reb Zalman was a fiery chasid completely mekushar to the Rabbeim. The book written by a grandson of Reb Avrohom, is finely edited, well illustrated and well footnoted. All facts are well documented. Though the book is written by a grandson, there is little attempt made at portraying him as a super man . He was a man who lived in difficult times and though never compromising his Jewish and Chabad beliefs, coped with the reality of various situations. And the author does not hide this. I also think the book portrays the life of the White Russian shtetel in a manner that an American reader can understand what exactly was going on in those times. The religious and political forces at work and how this affected the general Jewish community and the Chabad community. I think every reader will read with fascination the chapters dealing with Reb Avrohom's life under Communism . His leadership role, his messiras nefesh and the miracle of being able to stay one step ahead of the authorities . It seems that Reb Avrohom was always inspired and led by the thought of how would the Rebbe act, how would he want him to behave; and Reb Avrohom was adept at receiving these moral and spiritual instructions from the Lubavitcher Rebbes.

with Teimaner Kinder in the Lubavitcher Yeshivah in Lod, 1950's
What comes across in the book is also Reb Avrohom's tremendous ahvas Israel to all Jews, not only chabad chasidim. I have met people from the YU community who were highly impressed by his personality when spending time with him in the Catskills during the summers. He was an ish Ha-Eshkolith, as I mentioned. But he was also a true Chasid contemplating his behavior and his person. As the author relates in a wonderful story in the preface to the book as to how when the situation called for it, he could farbreng with no one else but himself ! And yet this same person set the gold standard for farbrengungs in Crown Heights with many in attendance. But for him the quantity was of no importance it was the quality even if it was only himself. The volume also depicts Reb Avrohom's doros - his children raised under Communist persecution yet developing into proud Chabad chassdim and many serving as shluchim in various parts of the world. Reb Avrohom represented Chabad at its best. many of us are only familiar with the great Chabad Rebbes, but what made Chabad ever great is the quality of chassidim who these rebbes produced and chose to follow these rebbes in fire and water.
Although not a Rebbe , Reb Avrohom was a true Chasid.I think this volume can serve as not only a lucid account of chabad history in the 20th century but also an inspirational account for the younger generation of Chassidim of all stripes today. A few final words of full disclosure , I did have a minor role in the production of this volume and I was honored to do so. In addition my late uncle Reb Zalman Alperowitz was a friend of Reb Avrohom who was also part of the hanhola of the Lubavitcher yeshiva in Nevel serving with reb Avrohom.. As we appraoch the 20th Yarzeit of reb Avrohom on the 10th day of Nissan , we know that just as he was a devoted chosid in this world he remains so (maybe even more so) in the sublime spiritual world. I pray that many will avail themselves of this volume and read about the life and times of Reb Avrohom and be inspired as these days are not only his yortzeit, but also the birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe whose leadership continues to inspire the Jewish world.



24 comments:

  1. What a great review. I want to go out now before Pesach and buy this book.

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  2. reb Yosef Hersh Weinstock spoke at a recent melava malka in satmer shul on Rodney st he said the that reb avrohom told him personally with pain as follows , the rebee (the reshab) hot zich gekocht in avoides hatfila the freierdger rebbe ( the reyatz) hot zich gekocht in askones , der heintiger kocht zich in mivtzoim, tefila man dechar shmeih.

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  3. Does anyone still remember what a farbrengen of his looked like? Could you share your memories with us?

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  4. This was an excellent review. I would like to go out and buy this book. But, but -- most book reviews give you the exact NAME OF THE BOOK and the exact NAME OF THE AUTHOR.

    Can you please provide this information

    Thnx

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  5. anon 6:36

    you're anonymous too....

    click on the link at the top of the review, it'll take you to a previous post that has that info.

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  6. who in lubavitch cares about him today , his grandchildren live in park slope almost as good as prewar Berlin

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  7. Why should anyone care? He was an old yid who davened baarichus,was a big talmid chochom and had an independent mind. He was not a mindless soldier of the current stripe.In general, no one cared about an elterer yid in Lubavitch. They were viewed as curious creatures from a different era who weren't with it. Yes,they'd say he knew how to farbreng but the real action was in 770.That's where the hu-ha,and the shturem and the excitement was centered.So, so long reb Avrohom and friends from Lubavitch shebelubavitch. You were the last of your kind.The message from 770 was clear and it was to conquer the world. The message of the Rebbeim up till the current administration was to conquer yourself through davening and learning in the age-old habad style.It's a bittersweet ending to 200 years of Habad history.The new generation are innkeepers and fundraisers. It's quite a dramatic ending to the story.In a sober moment who do you think represents real Chabad-the old "eived" or the new Habad house "franchisee?"Or maybe no one even cares.Enjoying your favorite beverage with the Teitelbaum brothers is not gonna give you back your identities. That,my friends, has been "lost in translation."

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  8. All this "acharei moys kedoshim emor" reverence of Reb Avrohom is nonsense. For those who lived & grew up in Crown Heights, we all knew that he was in fact viewed as a bit of a NIFRED. It is a dovor yodu'a that the Rebbe wanted him to stay in Israel, but he decided to go against the Rebbe's wishes & moved to Crown Heights anyways! For years & years, the Rebbe would ignore him at farbrengens & wouldn't even answer his l'chaims! This is something that no eynikl, or Lubavitcher for that matter, would mention in print. But this is the truth, & we cannot white-wash the truth.

    Also, if he was such a mekusher to the Rebbe, why would he call him at farbrengens "der Rebbe's zun's eydem"? (B'oznay shoma'ati.)

    Having said that, he did get respect as time went on, & by the 1980s he was one of the choshuver zikney anash. IIRC, when the Rebbe said (in 1985?) to be memaneh 3 mashpiyim for Crown Heights, he was one of them (together with Reb Shiye Korf & 1 more that I forget). Reb Yoel would spend much time talking to him in 770.

    Yes, he would daven ba'arichus, but so did others too.

    In case it is not clear from Shneur's review, the reason why Avrohom's shver, R' Zalmen Moshe, didn't learn in Tomchei Temimim was not because he wasn't chasidish enough, but because simply he was too old & I think was already married by the time the Yeshivah started. In fact, I think Zalmen Moshe was one of the zitzers in Lubavitch. So although not a tomim per se, he still had all the mayles of a tomim.

    -- ZIY

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  9. "who in lubavitch cares about him today ,"
    they talk about him by farbrengens constantly.

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  10. Forgot my name
    I guess after such a rant on the inn keepers, an I will see u this shabos afternoon at 3 oclock davening 4 hours straight

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  11. Yosef Hersh Weistock is a muchzak shakran, as I said before,I am not discussing Reb Avrohom's hiskashrus, but a Kluger yid he was for sure, and would never talk against chabad in front of a misnaged.He despised them, and a satmarer was in his eyes a misnaged (and they proudly are).

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  12. shneuer ! no one in crown heights farbrangens talks about him, tefila is no ones concern ,and a mekusher he was not, this book wont change the fact on the ground

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  13. Intersting, I was lately by a farbrengen last week of Reb Kuti Feldman and Reb Shulem Charitonev, and they spoke about avodas hatfilah, and his name was brought up.

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  14. Anon
    I am not getting the Y H Wienstocks fabrication,
    What is the difference between Askunas and Mivtzoim,
    So tefila ended in Tov Riesh Pie, and reb avrohom Miurer said that...
    never in million years.

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  15. askunes is an enterprise, mivtzoim is a franchise

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  16. Anon
    Wow! a briker ilu on board

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  17. Anon 2:41 am
    u brought up some interesting points about R' Avrohom, but you're missing the underlying politics. I'm going to have to wash some of our laundry here, but the truth needs to be aired.

    For about 15 yrs, 5740-5755, the detroiter shita became dominant in the yeshivas. Their definition of hiskashrus and what's a chossid obviously excluded RAM. So everyone heard the stories about his leaving EY, the Rebbe ignoring him, he's a nifrad, etc. Of course no one talked about AS who in 5722 was told by the Rebbe to go to EY. He didn't want to go, so the Rebbe said if so no shlichus for him. His father RBS went into yechidus to beg for him and the Rebbe relented. This is the same RBS who led the charge against RSL abt hiskashrus. Any detroiter will deny this, but it's all documented.

    In the late mem's a movement started about going to back to basics. Numerous bochurim and yungeleit were looking for more meaning beyond BS's one-liners and nivul peh at farbrengens. At this time, RAM was around 770 and they were drawn to him. I was zoiche to hear shiurim from him Shabbos morning and it wasn't for guys who spent Friday night finishing single malt bottles. As time has gone on, more and more people are awakening to the greatness of people like him, and this book fits right in.

    To be honest, it also helps that his son is probably the richest chossid around today, and his ainikel is one of Chabad's biggest successes in Eastern Europe today.

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  18. " For years & years, the Rebbe would ignore him at farbrengens & wouldn't even answer his l'chaims! This is something that no eynikl, or Lubavitcher for that matter, would mention in print. But this is the truth, & we cannot white-wash the truth."
    Veaf al pi kain he was way more than head and shoulders above most of us in CH.Halivai we would all attain the level of Chasidishkeit that he did.Oif unz aleh gezugt.

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  19. "For years & years, the Rebbe would ignore him at farbrengens & wouldn't even answer his l'chaims!"
    And yet the man came back farbrengen after farbrengen for years and years knowing that the Rebbe wouldn't answer his l'chaims.Why did he do so?Because he was a glutton for embarrassment lifnai kol am v'eidoh?How many other luminaries in Lubavitch would expose themselves to such ridicule? And you question his hiskashrus to the Rebbe?

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  20. Being that I was in 770 in the Mems there is no question that even then Reb Avraham was considered a supreme Chasdihsa Yid by emost (Beside the radical inane Shemtov clique who were sired in hate and spite). I don't know indeed if Hiskashrus was his thing, he surely belonged to an era whence Hiskashrus wasn't the ultimate definition of a ChaBAD Chosid. So its strange do claim that since he was Nifrad so he wasn't a Chosid in the pre "dor Hashvi'i" sense of the word. Its just the ignorance of his Grandchildern etc that they want to sell him in the anachronistic currency of todays Chasidos, that everyone was a Mekusher in the mode of R' Avraham Paris. OC not most from that era wern't (even for the Reshab).

    His uniqueness was that he didn't want to blend in. he didnt follow the popular thing as REb Mendel FutarfaSS DID, and saw where the wind is blowing.

    If there is something to cricize him, its not not the juvenile Nifrad thing, but rather stuff that happened in Russia Vedal!

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  21. Only one of Reb Avrohom's grandchildren lives in Park Slope and is modern (but far from OTD or frei). He had 10 children who survived childhood, and each one had an average of five or six children.

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  22. anon
    thanks for the Loshen Hora

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  23. I’ve recently started a blog, the information you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.

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  24. this book has still not made an appearance in lakewood.

    tzvi drizin has kroivim here that would love to see it

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