Tuesday, May 22, 2007

A Shavuous Message

From Yated editor R' Pinny Lipschutz

"We must internalize the teachings of the Torah and make ourselves better people. Torah must touch our souls and impact our actions. If we stay up all night learning, but then come home and carp at our wife because she didn’t have breakfast ready for us before we go to sleep, then we have failed in our mission of forging ourselves into true Bnei Torah."

(click on the above link for the complete article)

There's more talk in the article about becoming good Bnei Torah with good Midos, not just ivory tower learning. I guess that means learning with others as well. That's a nice idea. There's the idea of accepting all GOOD Jews who follow Halochoh, even if they daven a different Nusach than you, and other feel good topics you'd hear at a Mussar Shmuess to BaaleiBatim. He even mentions Nusach Ari as one of the acceptable Nuschoy'es, so I guess Lubavitchers are about to be accepted back into the fold. I can dream, right? Where else would we hear these groundbreaking ideas if not from the Yated? Thank G-d. There also lots of talk about how great Yidden are (as compared to the other nations) and other ideas that are supposed to make Yiddishkeit appeal to us.

Maybe it's me, but I think he misses the point here. What one takes from Shavuos according to this is that it's really nothing different than Rosh Hashonoh, except for the fact that there isn't the Tshuvah factor on Shavuos. On Shavuos it's the Torah factor. Otherwise it's just another time of reflecting on making ourselves better people, with the emphasis on Torah rather than Tshuvah. I realize that the Litvishe Hashkofoh is not just dependent on Pinny Lipschutz, and that there is a bit more to it, but it's still incredibly lacking, as if to say that there's no real reason why we celebrate Shavuos, other than to learn better. And to have a Artscroll Rus published too. I guess that works well for some people, they're content with just being Baalei Kabbolas Oyl. Others will be Kabbolas Oyl'nikkes, but have a thirst for knowledge too.

For those of you who do care to know what happened during Kabbolas HaTorah at Har Sinai, and why the Am HaNivchar is really Nivchar, and what true Ahavas Yisroel is about, start learning Chassidus. Tanya, Likkutei Torah, Derech Mitzvosecho, the "old Chabad" if you will. It'll open your eyes, and teach you what you as a Jew are all about. It'll complement your Nigleh learning like never before, and take it to new heights. Never before will you think of yourself as the same, and never will you see Hashem with such simplistic notions. How do I know? me the nasty Am Ho'Oretz? well, some of my best friends have told me what it's like, and I can't wait to join in this monumental task one day. Until then I can only hope to be a Chabadsker. There's a lot more to say, and maybe if I had more time the post would look better, but I don't. Have a great Yom Tov.

קבלת התורה בשמחה ובפנימיות

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Of course. Unless we learn Chabad's Chassidus we are lost. We have no clue what life is about. Forget Nefesh HaChaim, Mesilas Yeshorim, Orchos Tzaddikim, Michtav MeEliyahu, etc..etc... You cant be a good Jew unless you are Chabad or study Chabad's Torah.

Just more of the same Chabad superiority complex. Nothing new here.

Anonymous said...

I don't get it.

You are a Lubavitcher for so many years and you still don't know their teachings on Shavuos ???

But, of course, that doesn't stop you from writing "the Litvishe Hashkofoh.......it's still incredibly lacking".

At least that part, to bash the Litvishe, that part of Lubavitch you have learned, the עיקר העיקרים ויסוד היסודות of that great tenua of ahavas Yisroel. Yeah....

Anonymous said...

I like the missianary exhortation.'Learn Chabadsker chasides' and you''ll become big talmidei chachomim even in nigleh'

Sorry, I don't see those big Chabadsker talmidei chachomim you'd expect based on what you are saying.
Care to enumerate some of them?
Are we all just missing the greatness of the likes of Wolpe and co?
Something tells me that the Chbdsker don't even know chassidus.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Last time I checked the above mentioned spoke nothing of what I spoke about. Otherwise Pinny would have sure mentioned it, no?

You just don't get, that's what it comes down to. You cannot imagine that the Alter Rebbe speaks of concepts that the Mesilas Yeshorim doesn't. Why? I don't know. All you need to do is open the Seforim!

I'm speaking of Yesodos in Emonas Elokus, The uniqueness of Am Yisroel etc. The nefesh Hachaim does speak of it, but not in a format of Parshiyos and Yomim Tovim. Then again, most snags never opened the NH, and when they do might as well hold it backwards, that's how much they understand. We also know that the Michtov MeEliyohu is chock full of Chassidus, but you can continue to fool yourselves, and stick that Lomdishe kop back in the sand.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps Chabadskers should start learning their own seforim if they're so full of the true meaning of ahavas yisroel.

I forgot though, that concept doesn't apply to people who still follow that 'lacking' Litvishe hashkofo.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Litvishe Hashkofoh is lacking by choice, they don't learn it, and they don't teach it. Plain and simple. The only ones that did were the Telzers, and that stopped 65 years ago too. Their opinion was that it's not important, and that's why Mussar was rejected by so many for so long.

Anonymous said...

Tzig
You are pretty much a 'soney yisroel' in my book.You are always there rabble rousing against other groups .Why would I take your idea of talmud torah seriously if you are a prime example?

Anonymous said...

Kabolas hateyreh besimcha=choizek machen fin 'snags
Ubepnimiyus=farkoifen chabasker bobbeh mayses alz 'pneemeeyus'
Yuck.

Anonymous said...

Tzig, you should have just posted their comments with no response. Like the prick of a balloon.

Anonymous said...

What the verdict on Chabad Chassidus exactly is, is a different story, but untill all you snags don't open up a sefer, you don't have a say in the matter, got it?, nothing to talk about till you do the above-mentioned act.......

Anonymous said...

>>Litvishe Hashkofoh is lacking by choice, they don't learn it, and they don't teach it. Plain and simple. The only ones that did were the Telzers, and that stopped 65 years ago too. Their opinion was that it's not important, and that's why Mussar was rejected by so many for so long.

There is absolutely nothing lacking in litvish hashkafos. It is, at the very least, at least as deep as chassidus.

Sorry to burst your anti semetic bubble, but it looks like you have a lot of learning to do. You know NOTHING about this subject.

PS Hmmmm is an ass.

Anonymous said...

Thank you again, Ross. And I still think Tzig would have been better served on this particular thread by only putting the snags' comments.

Anonymous said...

Lubabvitch-Chassides, Ahavas Yisrroel.All misnomers.Some Lubavitchers learn.Some have ahavas yisroel.Many don't.Not much different than what happens by Lutvackes.
This blog for example has no redeaming qualities.The blogmaster in a nitwit looking for chesronos in other groups, when there is so much to focus on inwards.Hey, what about some intellectual discussions?Some Torah thoughts?None.Only more 'stories' looking to portray Rabbis from other groups in the worst light.
A chasidic thought:One does not raise oneself by burying the other, rather one focuses on RAISING themselves.

Anonymous said...

lamplighter, learn how to type in coherent English. Then maybe we'll see about taking your reading suggestions.

Furthermore I'd think that one could similarly make the charge that until one cracks a sefer from the Litvishe world, then and only then could someone, after intensive study, even venture to offer a thought on whether or not that hashkofo is 'lacking'.

If this blog is an attempt to be a beacon of Chasidus or ahavas yisroel, then I fear for both of those concepts.

Anonymous said...

Well lets see…. The Yomtov of Kabbolos Hatorah is really about CHABAD chassidus. Wonder why I never noticed that before. As for the assertion that Litvaks are lacking in a understanding of Shavous, I wonder how much Rav Yerucham, etc you looked at in the last year. Or is anything not to your liking/notion lacking in depth.

Anonymous said...

Hershel
Most of the big chidushim of Nefesh Hachaim is also influenced from Tanya (besides the one about the late mincha), Look up Rabbi NG article in the first Heichel Habesht volumes,

Anonymous said...

Let's make this worse, add fat to the fire: The legendary story of Shavuos, in summarized fashion.

When the Chassidim heard that the Eibershter was going to reveeal Himself, Atzmuso Umehuso, they set out a massive farbrengen and went for it. Atzmus Umehus alein! They farbrenged the night through, fell asleep towards morning, and when the call came, Anochi Hashem Elokecha, they yelled: Lechaim Velivrochoh!

When the Misnagdim heard that the Eibershter was going to reveal Himself, the Baal HaSefer alein, they were terribly excited. The Mechaber Himself is going to present His chidushei torah! We need to prepare tzu upfregen! They ate cheesecake and prepared Shaalos the entire night through, and fell asleep towards morning, When the call came, Anochi Hashem Elokecha, they woke up and yelled, "ver zogt?"

It gets much better over many hours of Tikkun Leil Shavuos. This has been your fat in the fire moment.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm
Something tells that me your tikkun leil sh'vuos involved to much vodka

wanderer said...

hmmm,

just plain sweet...

Anonymous said...

Something tells you wrong.

Anonymous said...

It must be nice to live in a world where the biggest thing confronting the Jewish people are ridiculous squabbles between 'snags' and 'chossids'.

So yes, lets continue to tell little deprecating stories about our fellow Jews and sit around and write nasty things about other rabbonim/groups, because there's just so little to do in the Jewish world.

Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic comes to mind.