Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Color these glasses "Chabad"



Here

The Spinker Rebbe of Yerushalayim, Reb Mordche Duvid Kahana, zt"l, was niftar yesterday. Most people never really knew him. He had a tiny shul on Rehov Salant in Meah Shearim, and if you blinked you could miss it walking by. (This is not the Spinka I grew up in, in case you're wondering.) RMD was a great-grandson of the late Rav Nachman Kahana, Rov of Spinka, the author of the "Orchos Chaim," who was a SIL of the Imrei Yosef, the first Spinker Rebbe, and who traced his yichus, ben achar ben, to the Baal Kuntres HaSfeikos, the brother of the "Ketzos." (The same Kahanas who fought the Teitelbaum Rabbonim in Sighet...) RMD was known - those that knew him - as a Masmid and Talmid Chochom who was on staff - like his father before him - of the Otzar HaPoskim, meaning he worked for a living... On another, more cosmetic note, he was one of the last Rebbes who would smoke in public, mostly because he could not go for more than a few minutes without a cigarette. על פי דרך הטבע you might say that the smoking killed him, since he suffered terribly the last few years, but he never could kick the habit...

The Spinka Rebbe was known as an Ish HaShalom who never - or rarely - got involved in politics. Despite being very Conservative when it came to his own life and family, he never took that to others, meaning he never yelled and screamed that all others were living in sin by doing what they do. In politics he also was not heard from, although the Eda HaCharedis saw his as of their own. However, he was heard from when it came to the danger of giving land to Arab Terrorists/Hamas, and he was part of the group "Vaad HoRabbonim L'Inyonei Pikuach Nefesh," a Rabbinical group that saw it as its mission to make known to the world the dangers of giving land to Arabs/Terrorists. Which makes perfect sense, since JEWISH lives should be beyond politics, and whether or not you're a Zionist shouldn't matter. The fact that the group is dominated by Lubavitcher Rabbonim also didn't seem to bother him, or the Erlauer Rov, shlit"a, or Rav Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg, SIL of the late Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt"l. They too were very active in the group, despite its "Lubavitcher connotations."

Which brings me to the issue at hand. Many of you nice people complained about the lack of coverage that Chabad sites gave and continue to give to the passing of Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim in the Charedi world. That proves to you that Chabad is "outside the realm." Whatever that means. To tell you the truth I was a bit surprised at all the coverage he got in all the Chabad websites, maybe I've been influenced by some of you here. It seemed like pandering to me, or that he pandered to us so we'll pander back... But then I realized that we all do this, not just Lubavitch. "ער איז געווען דבוק אין רביה"ק זי"ע" is a common line when it comes to obituaries in the Satmar-Yiddish press, which is "code" for "he was worthy of an obituary in our paper." In the Litvishe press they would write "מרן ראש ישיבה אמר עליו שכל כולל חזו"א עומד בזכותו," or something like that. So in Lubavitch "code" that would translate into "הי' מקושר בלו"נ לכ"ק אדמו"ר זי"ע." In the Spinka Rebbe's case; I guess Lubavitchers also liked the fact that he was a Talmid of the Yeshiva Toras Emes in Yerushalayim and that he would attend 19 Kislev functions at the Lubavitcher shul on Rehov Baal HaTanya. As much as we'd like to think that we're different we're very much the same. So maybe Lubavitch is "in the realm" after all...

Shmais

COL on his passing

Another story on COL about his connection to Rabbonei Pikuach Nefesh

Shturem also has the Pikuach Nefesh angle

As well as blurb about him learning in Toras Emes Chabad in Yerushalayim

30 comments:

  1. Genious! It was interesting and graited on the nerves. You almost have us convinced that he was chushov and he held of the Rebbe:)

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  2. כמדומני, שמשמפחת הנפטר , לפני חשמשים שנה, התחזקו והשתדלו לבטל
    הגזירה הנוראה שרצו ימ''ש להטיל על בנות ישראל (שכל כבודם הוא רק בגדר "פנימה" ולא להתחבר עם פושעי ישרשאל במקום רחוק על איזה "שליחות") והם אזרו חיל ללחום כנגד הארורים מזרע עמלק ומהערב רב, כידוע.
    וע''פ הנ''ל, א''א שהנפטר הי' "מקושר" עם אחד שעומד על הצד בזמן גיוס בנות ולא השתתף בחינוך עצמאי, ( ובדגל ובהדפת היתד נאמן ועוד כיו''ב) ואכמ''ל

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  3. there was no point in squeezing in an old teitelbaum fight in this article, except for the reason that the teitelbaums had a fight with spinka regarding his son in law r` abish, but you mentioned siget, this does not aply here at all.

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  4. no point? I think there was, and I'm the only who counts.

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  5. right, Marc/K he wasn't choshuv because he didn't learn by Reb Berel...

    you ignorant fool.

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  6. ע"פ הנ"ל א"א שמתחשבים עם דעתך הדלה

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  7. I was shocked that he risked going to a meeting of vaad pikuech nefesh. He lived in the Ungarischer Hiezer affiliated with the Eidah. This is a taboo issue by that crowd, I guess that he had some truth in his soul,
    As the Ungarishe Bubes say, Zol Er Zien A Giter Better.

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  8. Anon
    "כמדומני, שמשמפחת הנפטר , לפני חשמשים שנה, התחזקו והשתדלו לבטל
    הגזירה הנוראה שרצו ימ''ש להטיל על בנות ישראל (שכל כבודם הוא רק בגדר "פנימה" ולא להתחבר עם פושעי ישרשאל במקום רחוק על איזה "שליחות") והם אזרו חיל ללחום כנגד הארורים מזרע עמלק ומהערב רב, כידוע.
    וע''פ הנ''ל, א''א שהנפטר הי' "מקושר" עם אחד שעומד על הצד בזמן גיוס בנות ולא השתתף בחינוך עצמאי, ( ובדגל ובהדפת היתד נאמן ועוד כיו''ב) ואכמ''ל"
    Besides the vulgar Yemach Shemoi, I am not getting your Pilpul, can you explain better

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  9. You missed the real connection to Lubavitch - the cigarettes . That long cigarette in the picture looks like a Russian papyros....
    Rayaatz smoked "Old Gold" brand "veil dos iz vos mir zaynen"
    Der Spinker rebbe zol zayn a gutter better far klal israel ZT"L

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  10. מעולם לא שמעתי אודות אדמו''ר. מסתמא הוא למד ע''ד החסיד מדווינסק והשדי חמ''ד ( ו'פריז') . ז''א, שלא הכיר את ה"ב' דינים" רק שלש או ארבע, וכל המוסיף גורע

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  11. what was the otzer haposkim?

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  12. Couldn't the Rebbes have bavizen a meifes and be meshaneh the tevah so that cigarettes didn't give you cancer,emphysema,heart disease,etc,etc.R'L.Rav Fisher from Yerushalayim tried to argue that it didn't affect Jews but alas he was mistaken. What a great world it would be to sit and learn with a Camel or Lucky Strike!Bishas hadchak I'd take a Pall Mall,too.The filters are for veiber and misnagdim.

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  13. now for the cynicism. does this mean we get another 5 spinka rebbes floating around? or his kids are ok with only one taking the title and the rest going to work?

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  14. A ben tayreh asking "what was the otzer haposkim?", is the equivlant of a Tomim asking what aשs hemshech תרע"ב.

    Talk about "outside the realm."

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  15. Like a Lubavitcher who never heard of Encyclopedia Talmudist....

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  16. long time have`nt heard from our exclusive `bobov chusid`, i guess he`s on vacation.

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  17. To Anon 10:51:
    His brother is not a Rebbe (he is a Ruv), so I'm guessing the answer is no.

    TO TZIG:
    "RMD was known - those that knew him - as a Masmid and Talmid Chochom who was on staff - like his father before him - of the Otzar HaPoskim, meaning he worked for a living..."

    What on earth does this mean???

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  18. You missed the point. Of course every group is going to stress how close Tzadik ploni was with their leader etc. But when the Satmar Rebbe (last) of Bobbover Rebbe were nifter, did the Yated ignore it, or give it two lines. Was not Rav Chaim Stien covered in Chassidish papers.

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  19. Why is the Hamodia write up on him so minute and weak?
    Wasn't he as a big Talmud Chochem As Rav Kopelman for instance.

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  20. so he was an ungarisher with his clothing and nationality, a lubavitcher with his politics "shlimas haretz" an eda member for the benefits, now thats news! although a benon shel kedoshim a talmid chucem and erlicher yid to, but that alone wouldnt get him in to the news right?

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  21. "Why is the Hamodia write up on him so minute and weak?"

    Because being an ungarisher rebbe belonging to the eda, phlisophical a lubavitcher, and not in the agudah! that almost qulifies him for a 'mes mitzva' c"v. ved"l

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  22. Actually the Bar Ilan Responsa has superceded the Otzar Haposkim.

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  23. Ragolnik
    "Actually the Bar Ilan Responsa has superceded the Otzar Haposkim."
    Nonsense nonsense nonsense

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  24. "Actually the Bar Ilan Responsa has superceded the Otzar Haposkim."

    Anyone who can write this has obviously never used them both. It is like comparing apples to bicycles!!!

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  25. Kuntres hasfekos was written by the brother in law of the ktzos not his brother.

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  26. TZIG!

    Please reply to my question.

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  27. Anon 7:15:

    That's an outright lie.

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  28. Hentel

    it means he worked for a living, just like I said.

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  29. tzig: "it means he worked for a living, just like I said."

    I heard there is a tape where SR RJT z"l says on purim.. "He is envious only on a yid which makes a living meyiga kapov and is koviah etim l'torah"

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