Monday, February 26, 2007

Attention Mr. Lev Levaiev


According to this story in YeshivaWorldNews, Rabbi Mordy Neustadt announced at the dinner of the non-existant Va'ad L'Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel (sorry guys, my opinion stands) that they're about to launch a new and exciting project; the translation of the Shas into Russian by Artscroll! I'm not quite sure how much of a market there'll be, but that's what they announced. Personally I think Spanish and French should come first, but then again, I'm just a Chabadsker Zhlob, and what do I know. What remains to be seen is how much will be lifted from the Steinsaltz Russian, and who will actually work on it, it won't be an easy task finding a team for the Russian.

A commenter there (at YeshivaWorld) said they're looking for sponsors, since AS does nothing before it's paid in full, and on top of that they'll charge you Forty bucks. My advice to you, Mr. Levaiev, is to seize this opportunity and put your name on it, whatever the cost may be. Let the Levaiev name be associated with a project such as this, and put the world on notice. You have convictions, and Lubavitch and the Rebbe is a major part of your life. Just as Schottenstein demanded certain things from Artscroll when he paid for that project, and just like he does when it come to Ohio State's stadium, you too should make certain demands of the suits at Artscroll/Mesorah/Shaar Press. Demand that they include the Rebbe's works in their translations, and demand better treatment for Lubavitch and their institutions.

I think that your money will speak loudly here, especially since you're from a former Soviet Republic, and your advice will be seen as that of an insider who knows what he's talking about. The good Rabbis at AS will quickly forget their earlier so-called "convictions" about Lubavitch and the Rebbe. Putting all of your money into the CIS (FSU, former Soviet Union) gets you little attention amongst the Frum world, this will be better, I guarantee it. It'll also increase the level of learning amongst the students in the Yeshivos you fund, that in turn will only help to increase the quality of students that are produced from those Yeshivos. All in all, a win-win proposition.

28 comments:

  1. I am reminded of the Brisker Rav's Vort. When moshiach comes (sorry I don't believe it is the rebbe) all the nations will take credit for all the roads etc, they provided for the jews to make their life easier. G-D will anwser did you do it for my children or for your self? I ask does Artscroll do anything "lsheim shamayim" or is the $ the only concern.

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  2. I was just browsing Yeshiva World and saw the post about Artscroll in Russian. BEFOREI looked at the comments there I thought that this will be sure to infuriate the Tzig, whenever he sees Artscroll his jealousy gauge hits the roof and he loses it.
    Nu, lo and behold the Tzig has already commented there! I come here and eureka the Tzig has a post about it!

    Listen, good luck with you getting Leviev to give to any non Lubab institution,(Actually he is mainly active in Eastern Europe, where giving to Lubab pays dividends.....ayin the self corronated chief 'rabbi' who is busy kissing the slimey Putins mechilah, so it pays to be close with the Lubab there, nothing in Russia moves unless the correct wheels are greased, and when the correct wheels are greased and the correct teycheser kissed the dividends are great, veayin oid beinyan Rohr family vechodoimeh)

    The real truth is, why do you need Artscroll translated, Tanya we have and if we teach the Russian bochrim to much they may realize that Lubab is selling them some sick 'boreinu ' goods'

    Btw, I know of a Russian Baal Teshuva from Boro Park, who knows kol hatoroh kula, plus works a prestigous job for a bank, who is very much up to the job.It goes without saying that he is not a Chabadsker, because non of the Russian ones know anything (or almost any Lubab for that matter)
    What a joke that they'd need to lift from Steinzaltz, pal, don't mix up your ignorant Russian masses attracted to Lubab for it's cult worship and drink with eideleh intellectual Russian boys in Eretz Yisroel and Lakewood.There are many up to the job there

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  3. Yom Tov:

    take a chill pill, dude, unless you like sounding like a fool. It seems like you're the one that jumped out of your seat, no? I use no such language (licking Mechilos etc.) although I'd very much like to. Why must you snags have it all? leave Russia for the Lubavitchers, they're from there and know the people.

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  4. Perhaps they would consider the Tzig Edition in Hungarian... ;)

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  5. Lie # 1

    Levaiev gives only to Lubavitcher institutions.

    Lie #2

    Levaiev gives in Eastern Europe only.


    Hey Yom Tov, if you'd like I can show you Russian Lubavitcher Yidden who know Kol HaTorah Kuleh and never learned in an organized Yeshivah. They learned in underground Chadorim and Yeshivos. So why not wipe that phlegm off your foaming mouth and smoke a Parliament or something. Then come back and wipe off your keyboard.

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  6. I wrote 'mainly', not 'only'
    But actually I think he 'takes' not 'gives'.Giving to Lubab in Russia means big $$$ in corrupt connections.
    Leviev is worth more than two billion $, where is his giving??
    He funds a school in Queens and gives/takes to the Lubab.

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  7. '' leave Russia for the Lubavitchers, they're from there and know the people. ''
    Yeah, Berkeh Lazar is Russian like you are.
    Why does one need to 'leave' anything there is more than enough work for everybody.Why, bichlal is the translation of the Talmud into Russian a contradiction to Lubavitchkait??
    You said it yourself, pal!!.Learning anything (besides parroting Tanyah and Rambam, OBVIOUSLY)is a setirah to Lubavitch!!
    If Lubab were interested in furthering Yiddishkait, why would they be bothered that there are others in the field??THE TERUTZ IS SIMPLE, they are interested in Lubavitch, nothing else(besides $$ and power, of course!) memeilah any other group spreading Judaism is a threat to them.Better marry a shiksa and respect the Rebbe than be a shomer totah umitvos Jew.

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  8. You're right about the Shas, that I would leave for the Artscroll. But it's a well=known fact that they lifted most of the English Shas from the Steinsaltz. Where else would they know how to do a professional job?

    You're quite a hateful person, you put me to shame, counting other people's money and how much Tzedaka they give. Who died and made you G-d? Let's go around to the fat cats in BP and Flatbush and see how much they give and where they give to. Do they give to Lubavitch? did the Reichmans give to Lubavitch? The answer is no, they ygive to their own little group, mostly Hungarian institutions and to the Snags.

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  9. ''I am reminded of the Brisker Rav's Vort. When moshiach comes (sorry I don't believe it is the rebbe) all the nations will take credit for all the roads etc, they provided for the jews to make their life easier. G-D will anwser did you do it for my children or for your self? I ask does Artscroll do anything "lsheim shamayim" or is the $ the only concern. ''

    Anti artscroll yid.
    Your vort is not from the Brisker Rov, it is a gemoroh in avodoh zoro, beis omud bais.
    Interesting that a grobbeh am hooretz such as yourself, is crticizing Artscroll.Get yourself an Artscroll gemorah and learn a yiddish vort

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  10. Listen, you know nothing about the Artscroll Shas, it is totally different than Steinsaltz.
    I know that in your mind, it is impossible to do such a job without 'copying Steinsaltz'
    Do you know the editors of Artscroll Shas, Rabbi Shor and Rabbi Malinowitz?If you did you'd know they don't need Steinsaltz(by the way, Steinsaltz has his 'own' pirush, while Artscroll is built on pirush rashi, not a 'scientific' reading of the text)

    (btw, what is this goyishe expression doing in your lexicon 'Who died and made you G-d?' I thought you were not a meshichist or Boreinunik)

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  11. Oh, so now somebody died and made you lexicon police?

    Listen my friend, you totally miss the point here. It's a well-known fact that it's lifted from Steinsaltz, scientific or Rashi not withstanding. The point is the biggest Lamden in the world wouldn't know how to prepare a scholarly work just because he can learn. You needed a man like Steinsaltz to set the precedent here, and lo and behold! soon after the Steinsaltz Shas started so did the Artscroll! conincidence? I think not.

    It's fine to copy others, it would help, however, to give some credit.

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  12. 'Well known fact'
    Do me a favor and look up what that means, wont you.
    Lubab and their 'facts'........

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  13. But it's a well=known fact that they lifted most of the English Shas from the Steinsaltz. Where else would they know how to do a professional job?

    Tzig, you know I like defending Chabad and get quite frustrated by the anti antics of misnagdim, but since I am part of the litvish world, I get quite upset when I KNOW that you are totally off-base and incorrect about something, or judge someone harshly that I know doesn't deserve it. That quote above is a case in point.

    Anyone who read my dormant blog knows that I learned in Ner Yisroel in Baltimore. I know a number of the Artscroll editors and translators, and how they worked. Because of this, I know that quote of yours to be 100% blatant sheker and shtus. Perhaps there is a corrolation in terms of where Artscroll got the impetus to do it, much like Kehos administrators only getting off their fat lazy behoinois when the Yechiniks would come up with a good idea. But "lifted"? "Copy others"? That is such a retarded assumption. Purim Torah perhaps? Or just looking for comments? Otherwise you just look like a fool.

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  14. Tzig, let there own words make fools of them... They are doing such a good job. Foaming at the mouth, they are. Rabid. Someone needs to put them down and out of their misery, good thing Kevorkian is locked up.

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  15. hmmm,

    I hope your comment is not commenting on me. That would be beneath you.

    My dormant blog's address can be found thru google.

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  16. No, they aren't, I know nothing of where Artscroll lifts their material from.

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  17. Interesting post.

    "Personally I think Spanish and French should come first"

    There already are volumes in French (http://www.artscroll.com/Categories/fta.html), Spanish I don't know for sure.

    "But it's a well=known fact that they lifted most of the English Shas from the Steinsaltz. Where else would they know how to do a professional job? "

    Hirshel, you are way off in claiming that the Artscroll shas is taken from Steinsaltz. They have some very talented people on their team, it's not the typical Yeshivishe guys that work for them. They have some real metzuyonim, some of whom are pretty knowledgable in secular subjects too. Besides, was the Steinsaltz version ever finished ? Artscroll did complete the Bavli, you know.

    How about if they put the Rebbe's hagahos al shashas in the back of a Russian edition ? Would that suffice for you ? I am not aware that such hagohos exist though. There might be difficulty putting them there if they were not written.

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  18. Echoing Yehupitz,I am one of those Artscroll writers.And it seems that the Tzig is just trying to get our goat with his drivel.

    Just to start a little flame , if there any Benei Torah that have spent a fair amount of time with the Steinsaltz Gemoras ,(written primarily by a team of others)have you come across any times where the Biur ignores Rashi and all the Rishonim in order to present a simple reading of the text?
    I have-complete disregard for the hesber ALL Rishonim give.

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  19. People (and anonymous 7:34pm)

    I have great respect for the job the editors at AS did on the Shas and do Bichlal. (save for the omission of the Kaballah in their seforim.) Believe it or not the Tzig uses the AS Shas for his Gemoroh learning, especially where time is of the essence.

    I also did not say that the style and method of the translators is that of the Steinsaltz, anybody can see that's simply not the case. It's just that it goes without saying that much was taken from Steinsaltz, simply because he was the first. After 15 years of editing things change, yes, so don't tell me what happens there today, I'm not interested.

    It does go without saying that Steinsaltz was bamboozled and marginalized by Charedi society. (I guess in preparation of the Big Shas project by AS? hmmm?)

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  20. Steinsaltz stopped because Artscroll put him out of business, let's not kid ourselves here. But it's OK when they do it, only a Shliach isn't allowed to come into a town where there's already an Orthodox Shul, right?

    There are sefroim upon seforim of the Rebbe's writings on Shas, Mr. Snag, so maybe the Russian edition will have it.

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  21. Well I for one was never prouder of being a Jew than when Rabbi Steinsaltz on a PBS special sat eating chocolate. He told the interviewer "I am a chocoholic. We Jews need chocolate. the way you Gentiles need air, we need chocolate!"

    The pride in being a Jew. All America surely looked at us with envy the next day.

    Talk about marginalized yourself out of by Charedi society .

    Oh any takers on where
    R. Steinsaltz ignores ALL Perushim in order to make his Biur flow well?

    It`s funny I am the only one to use the appelation Rabbi when talking about the man (Steinsaltz).

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  22. Adin Steinsaltz is from a left wing anti-religious family. He's techically a BT, so he ate chocolate on TV, big deal.

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  23. no he told all America
    "Jew need chocolate like gentiles need air"
    What gall and Bizoyan to the Am nivchar.
    He was not being cutsie about it .

    I am happy you do publish my comments.

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  24. Man, this is the issue a snag has with Steinsaltz? Reminds me of the story of the nistar called the Geller by the snags.

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  25. Could you give some examples of things in the AS gemara that were taken from Steinsaltz?

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  26. to Yom Tov in der vochen
    FYI,the "hungarian" Rabbi lazar was in Russia as a bochur doing harbotzes hatora when it wasn't trendy yet,because is "Russian" mentor send him there,

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  27. YEHUPITZ AND ANONYMOUS 5.14

    stop it already, this is way past ridiculous. Take it elsewhere.

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  28. Yehupitz
    Please accept my apology.Sorry for being nasty.

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