Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The Chofetz Chaim's תורה ועבודה plan for all European Yeshiva Bochurim - Brace yourselves...

The following 2 pages are from the sefer "כתבי הרח"א ביחובסקי" - a compilation of letters, stories and vertlach from the Chabad Chossid Reb Chaim Eliezer HaCohen Bikhovski d.5684. Reb Chaim Lazer was a Chossid of Kopust/Bobroisk, and for a while, back in the days when the two groups were at odds with each other, his seforim would not be learned... But the sefer was published by a Lubavitcher (Reb Berel Levin) in 5750, and the sefer דרך מצותיך of the צמח צדק is quite popular in Lubavitch today. I say that to avoid the usual, predictable comments that some of you will make. Although the Kopuster and Bobruisker were probably more sympathetic to ציונות than their cousin the Rebbe RaSHaB, I doubt he was trying to preach Zionism here. Like I said to a friend earlier today; Those of you who are uncomfortable with the CC's solution to the "תורה ברענט" predicament in Europe during the previous century can take comfort in the words of the Ore Someach, Reb Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk, who, according to Rabbi N Kamenetzky in his epic "The Making of a Gadol" was to have called the Chofetz Chaim "א קליין-שטעטל'דיגער איד" who has no knowledge of real life in the big cities and should therefore not be attending the Rabbinic conferences of the early 1900s. Maybe this solution was also "קליין-שטעטל'דיג" and not rooted in reality. After all, other than a group of Slabodker bachurim there was no mass emigration to Eretz Yisroel before WW2. But the CC was content with bachurim learning 9 months a year and working the land of Eretz Yisroel for 3 months. Imagine that!

 

10 comments:

הק'איך said...

הקדוש רמב"ם רצה ג"כ ישיבה פארם סעטעלמענט

Reuven Chaim Klein said...

וז"ל פירוש הרוקח עה"ת (בראשית ד:כו) ותהר יש בו אותיות תורה מלמד שיש להגות יומם ולילה ט' חדשים בשנה כנגד ט' חדשי העיבור וזהו מט"ו באב עד ט"ו אייר וכו' עכ"ל עיי"ש.

Moshe Fogel said...

Rav Bichovsky was a Zionist as his Rebiem were too,
A Zionist hears Zionisim, a Kanoi hears Kanoais

הק' איך said...

ר' מיכאל בער וויסמאנדעל
צ"ל

JS said...

This is the only source for such a big idea from the Ch"Ch? It makes me a little skeptical.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

dunno. Maybe there are others.

avi said...

Do you have anything to say about the crownheights.info article about the "goings on" in 770, sukkos and pesach??

Ray Kelly said...

Avi
is there still some details missing that Hirshel the detective should fill you in?

Be'vilder said...

HT, a few corrections. Bichovsky printed not only Derech Mitzvoisecho but close to a dozen works of chassidus including Yahel Ohr onTehillim, Or Hatorah on Breishis and all of the seforim of r Aizik Homiler that were ever printed. The idea that the Bobruisker was a tziyoni is based on the fact that he met with smolenkin who tried to to convince him to back their movement. The Bobruisker declined. The account was first published in Sefer Bobruisk and I think was mentioned in one of the Heichel BSHT.

an ailemesher said...

There is something similar in vol 3 of kol kisvei c"c from his son reb leib where the c"c disagrees with rayatz and if I remember correctly brings a proof from r. Yishmoel that it's ok to work in e"y. Sorry, I'm in transit and have no seforim with me to double check.