Looks like we're heading back to the great divide of תשמ"ט

I'm no expert on Israeli Haredi politics; I'll be the first one to tell you that I get severe headaches trying to follow it. But the currect matzav is easy enough for a novice like myself to understand. The Chassidishe Moetzes, after a meeting today, says to Stay Home Tomorrow and not vote for anybody in the ירושלים mayoral runoff election between Shas candidate Moshe Leon and the secular Ofer Berkovitz. Reb Chaim Kanievski says vote for Moshe Leon, otherwise you'll be a partner in all the Chilul Shabbos etc. And if you don't you're מחלל שם שמים. The Moetzes says that they're doing it because Degel is supporting a secular candidate in Tzfas. So it's just basically all politics and spite. But why is Degel supporting secularism in Tzfas and crying over קדושת ירושלים? Beats me. All this comes after the disaster of Round 1, where Slonimer chossid Yossi Deitsch lost by a wide margin after the Degel people didn't vote for him. Not only did they not vote for him, they showed the Agudah that they're twice as strong as them, voting in 6 of their own to Agudah's 3 on the city council. The biggest punch in the gut Ger had seen in a very, very long time. And secretly you might say even some chassidim aren't crying...

Which got me thinking: for a while I thought that were there to be open lines of communication between the Lubavitcher Rebbe and some of his Litvishe detractors, things would be quite different. If the Rebbe would live in EY, as silly as that sounds, then people from EY would have a chance to see the Rebbe and not be sucked into the great web of lies and deceit created by the haters. It would make sense, were it not for the events of recent weeks. No member of the Moetzes, some of whom live minutes away from the Roshei Yeshiva, made the effort to go visit Reb Moshe Hillel Hirsh or Reb Gershon Edelstein, or any tier 2 Rosh Yeshiva to try and tell them that it's imperative that we stay home tomorrow. Conversely, no Rosh Yeshiva went to any Rebbe to convince them to change their mind about staying home, since the קדושה of Yerushalayim is on the line. I realize that here the onus was on the Roshei Yeshiva, since the Chassidim are only doing it out of spite, and what kind of case can they make? How will they convince anybody of the righteousness of their decision today? We'll leave Reb Chaim out of this for now, since Yanky Kanievski would probably not let i n to their zeide....

Some would say that it's ironic that it happened to Yossi Deitsch the Slonimer, a chossid of Reb Sholom Noach, who was a close acquaintance of the late Ponovizher Rosh Yeshiva... (and no friend of Chabad, despite having taught there in the early 40s in Tel Aviv.) The real cynics say that all the Rosh Yeshivas need to do is speak about "Shabbos" and B"K, and all (veise) Slonimer will join them en masse.... Lots to hash out here, including "is Reb Chaim really in charge here, or as the Etznikim say, it's all his eynikel Yanky?" Also, did the Satmar Rebbe had a ווייטער בליק, as his supporters say? although he did allow his people to vote in municipal elections... MK Yisroel Eichler, in his Belzer apologist way told an interviewer last week that since Chassidim don't follow sports elections are r their entertainment, but chas vesholom, there's no animosity between Chassidim and Litvishers, just like fans of one team don't HATE fans of the other team... Time will surely tell. 

.....יתומים היינו

Reb Chaim's Letter, below:

קיינער האט נישט געזאגט פאר רבי חיימ'ס "שטוב מענטשן" אז דער סקווערער רבי נעמט מען אויף מיט א הוט און רעקל, און מ'שטעלט צו אביסל כיבוד אויך. ומה טוב זילבערנע כלים מיט הויפענס טרויבן

זיכער האט דער רבי אנגעזאגט פאר זיינע מענטשן אז מ'זאל נישט שטערן דער ראש ישיבה פון לערנען, און מ'זאל אים נישט זאגען אז דער סקווערער רבי קומט ארויף צו אים, אז דער ראש ישיבה זאל זיך נישט צוגרייטען און זיך שטערן א מינוט פון לערנען. אזוי ווי בכלל האט ער אנגעזאגט אז כדי צו פארמיידען ביטול תורה פון די אלע חסידים זאל מען ארגעניזירן שיעורים אויף די רייזעס צו די מקומות הקדושים.... אזוי ווי די הונדערטער קינדער און בחורים וואס זענען פארבליבן אינדערהיים - וועלכע בלייבען אהן זייערע מלמדים און מגידי שיעור - וואס ביי זיי וועט אוודאי אויך נישט זיין קיין ביטול תורה.... מ'זאגט אז די צוויי האבען גערעדט פון..... טעכנאלאגיע, און אז ר' חיים האט געזאגט אז ס'איז יהרוג ואל יעבור. אבער וואס וועט זיין מיט די כיבוד? דערנאך איז מען ארויף צו ר' אהרן לייב, זאל געזונט זיין. דארט איז ער געזעצן מיט'ן הוט און קאפאטע, ווי עס פאסט פאר ווען מ'נעמט אויף אזא חשוב'ען גאסט. איין ג-ט ווייסט וואס איז בכלל פשט פון די גאנצע נסיעה.

משהו הזוי בעולם של ספרי הלכה

The title of this post was how I received the file via e-mail. We can relate, however. It does look הזוי. At least in the world of Bene Beraq. Kind of like, if you don't me show me how Reb Chaim points with his index finger to point by וזאת התורה I won't believe it, and I'll use my pinkie. But מרובים צרכי עמך, ועמך ישראל צריכים פרנסה, so these will now be all the rage: illustrated sifrei hanhogos. And davka from so-called Litvishe.  It'll only cost you in the vicinity of $35, and it can take the place of Architectural Digest on your coffee table. That way you'll have תורה וגדולה במקום אחדץ Get it?

  Rav Chaim All

Wednesday Early Morning Links

איפה יוסל'ה now has a sister campaign: איפה הערשעלע?

Reb Chaim's Tchernobler Menorah
Ba'al Divrei Yoel says neginah has no shaychus to Chassidus
Rabbi Yosef Bronstein teaches the Lubavitcher Rebbe's sichos and Maamorim at YU

.....וזרח השמש ----- עד שלא

The handwritten note written by Reb Chaim Kanievski yesterday, passes the torch from his shver, Rav Elyashiv, who is very ill, r"l, to Reb Aron Leib Shteinman, zol gezunt zein. It's not clear if Rav Elyashiv himself told his son-in-law to pass the torch, or if it was done on his own, since RYSE has not been conscious, as far as we know, for some months now. Sources close to the matter say that is closely related to the fact that Rav Elyashiv is gravely ill, and the clamor to replace him has already begun. A recent sign of that change has been at the Israeli Yated Ne'eman, no relation to the American newspaper of the same name, where the old guard that was close to the late Ponovizher Rosh Yeshiva was unceremoniously thrown out and replaced by Rav Shteinman's people. Reb Aron Leib is not considered a follower of the true "Torah Haskafah" that the late Ponovizher Rosh Yeshiva handed down over the years. Neither is Rav Elyashiv, for that matter, but his leadership was uncontested, now that he's sidelines the fights can begin. The factions here are many, ואי אפשר לפורטם, and you can give yourself a migraine trying to figurer it out. I was asked how can I be "sleeping" at a time like this? You all know that I don't just report the dry news, I need to have an "angle," something to set me apart. Which is why I waited until this fell into my lap. It doesn't reflect on how I fell about Reb Aron Leib, whose tzidkus is undisputed, it just gives you a feeling as to what others feel, even if they claim to be respectful of Torah and talmidei chachomim...

 The following is a true story about the נצי"ב of Volozhin, זצ"ל, as told by הרב אברהם יהושע סאלאווייציק of Yerushalayim:

The Netziv, Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, lived in Lithuania during the 19th Century. Him and his brother-in-law, Reb Yitzchok Fried, were sons-in-law of Reb Itzele Volozhiner, son of Reb Chaim Volozhiner, the Yeshiva's founder. After his first wife passed Reb Hirsh-Leib Berlin married the daughter of the בעל ערוך השלחן. He was one of the most famous Rabbonim of his generation, and it's said that in the 40 years he headed the yeshiva in the town of Volozhin, some 10,000 students studied there. Many of them went on to lead communities and Yeshivos of their own. (a list of famous alumni can be seen here) The Netziv wrote commentaries on all parts of the Torah, and once, when he'd published a particularly difficult work, called "HaEmek Shayla," he called together his friends for a special celebration, where he told them the following story:

"When I was a child, I never paid attention in school. I was lazy and did not want to concentrate. Then one day when I was 11 years old, I came home from school and heard my parents talking. My father was explaining how he'd spoken to my teacher and together they'd concluded that I'd never amount to anything in terms of scholarship. So, my father explained, he was arranging to enroll me as an apprentice shoemaker as soon as I became Bar Mitzvah. "I was so shocked by this conversation that I ran to my parents and exclaimed: 'I'm sorry I've been so negligent with my studies. Please give me one more chance to prove that I'm a good student.' And from that day onward, I applied myself to the study of Torah with tremendous vigor and dedication. Since then I have not wasted a moment and it is that devotion which has enabled me to write the commentary which we are celebrating today." Then the Netziv continued: "But just imagine what would have happened had I not overheard my parents' conversation. I'd probably have ended up as a shoemaker. And I'd have been a pretty good shoemaker besides! But think of what would have happened at the end of my life when I'd get up to the Heavenly Court and they'd ask me: 'Naftali, (or Hirsh Leib - HT) show us what you've done with your life.' And I'd proudly show them my beautiful shoes: the fine workmanship, the quality leather and the exquisite design. "And then they'd ask me: 'But Naftali, where are all the books you were to publish? Where are your 10,000 students?'" The Netziv continued: "And what would I possibly respond??" Reb Avraham Yehoshua said that when Rav Shteinman reaches heaven, they'll ask him "Where are the shoes?!"

And this is where today's best and brightest end up. In Brisk...

exclusive: BREAKING NEWS: Rav Matisyahu Salomon in Israel to invite Reb Chaim Kanievski to Citifield

Here

Sources tell me that the Mashgiach, Rav Matisyahu Salomon, שליט"א, is in Israel, having just landed at Lod Airport. He will make his way to Rehov Rashbam in Bene Beraq to see the elderly Rav Chaim Kanievski, tzu lange yohren. Once at RCK's home he will personally invite him to the Kinus Klal Yisroel, scheduled to take at Citifield in Queens, New York on Sunday, 28 Iyar. It must be noted that the elderly RCK has not left the Holy Land since arriving there as a child, circa 1933. Why then would RMS invite him? Apparently Rav Matisyahu was in Israel a few months ago on another matter and went to see Reb Chaim to receive his blessing. He then proceeded to invite RCK to the gathering that would take place before Shavuous, to which Reb Chaim answered: "איך וועל קומען צוזאמען מיט'ן שווער." His shver is הרב אלישיב, who has been hospitalized for some weeks now, so he won't be traveling to Queens. But that's beside the point. Rav Elyashiv came to Israel as a 10 year boy and has never left either! So we can safely assume that Reb Chaim will not be attending. But Rav Matisyahu is not deterred! He will plead his case before Reb Chaim and get him to come.... Reb Chaim did say that it was incumbent to close the גמרא and attend, but I'm not sure if it supersedes the prohibition of leaving the Holy Land, which Reb Chaim and his shver both adhere to, seeing as they've never left.

Bulletins as they come in...

POTD

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