(father and son)
Rabbi Dr. Menachem Mendel Breier, o"h, (Hebrew), son in law of the last Boyaner Rebbe, Reb Mordche Shlomo Friedman, and father of Reb Nochum Dov Breier, current Rebbe of Boyan. Psychologist, Professor of Tanach and Jewish philosophy in Yeshiva University in New York.
The above article in the secular Haaretz brings several different versions of what happened after Reb Mordche Shlomo of Boyan passed away in 5731, and why Dr. Breier did not accept the leadership of the Boyaner Chassidim. They also made the wrong assumption that RMSF had no sons and hence the lineage was to continue through his daughter and her husband. He did have sons (may they be well), and they too refused to be Rebbes. One version is that it was decided for him - by the powers that be in Boyan - that he would not be worthy of being Rebbe since he was an "academic". The other version - denied by all in Boyan - was that he was asked to take over but said that he wouldn't since he would not relinquish his academic standing. In other words he wanted to continue to study, teach, and lecture in the secular field, something not possible were he to become a Rebbe of Chassidim. Even in Ruzhin.
So in Boyan - unlike Stolin - they decided to wait until his son Nochum Dov would be old enough to be Rebbe. At first he went to regular Yeshivos, Ch'san Sofer comes to mind, but then he was pulled and given to Eltere Chassidim to be educated. I read somewhere that he also learned in the Mirrer Yeshivah on Ocean Parkway, maybe to get away from the Chassidishe velt a bit before he was to be totally immersed there later on. Only after he married did he move to Eretz Yisroel and become Rebbe. I may even have the first Issue of Ponim Chadoshos that had his picture on the cover after he officially became Rebbe. Dr. Breier was known to be a big Chossid of his son, and was always at his side in recent years. The Boyaner Rebbe would come to America often to visit his parents, coming alone, and walking the streets of Flatbush by himself, a feat unknown in today's Rebbes. The Tzig was often Zoycheh to daven Minchah with him at a Flatbush Shtiebel.
The good Doctor suffered from Parkinson's disease r"l and was living in Yerushalayim in recent years. With his passing Boyaner Chassidus suffered a great, irreplacable loss. May we report on only good news in the future, VeNomar Omein!
an article by Rabbi Dr. Breier entitled הישיבות ברומניה
Satmar rebe of Monsey rav Chaim Shia Helbershtam walks alone, daven with regular minyan and speaks with any yid on the street and in Bays Hamedrysh.
ReplyDeleteI heard from the Gurarys' -the Kopishnetzer kroivim; kroivim to the Boiyaner as well- that the Lubavitcher Rebbe encouraged the current Boyaner Rebbe, tzu nemen dem mantel. (K'yodua in many instances).
ReplyDeleteWhat was the mayseh, im kol proteha?
stoliner rebbe when out of town walks alone.
ReplyDeleteTzibaleh
ReplyDeleteThe Stoliner walks alone for different reasons. He trusts nobody. vd"l.
I am happy u got it strait to the point
Deletethe book 'hasidic people' by jerome mintz has lots of info on boyan, how the rebbe came to be, his zaide...first hand interviews...
ReplyDelete" davens with regular minyan" what is not regular minyan? 11 people?
ReplyDeleteI was at his first tish..I was learning in Toras Emes at the time..and they said that the Rebbe sent Zalman Gurary to be there at the hachtoroh.
ReplyDeleteIn the Sefer House of Rizin the Rebbes father says that the Lubavitcher Rebbe was very vocal in convincing in making him the Rebbe as well as all the other Rebbes of Rizin.
ReplyDeleteI always knew that satmer thinks their rabbe ran the world, lubab too.........????
DeleteThe boyaner rebbe,shlita is a 'muflag' in
ReplyDeleteMidos Tovos