[An email exchange sent to me recently, where a "Chareidi" and a Talmid on the edge of the Chareidi world have an exchange of words. The Chareidi explains to the Talmid the concept of Daas Torah, who has it and who doesn't, and why it needs to be this way: He uses a letter from Reb Elchonon Wasserman HaYad to bolster his claim. (And, please folks, don't lose your sense of humor, OK?]
R' Elchonon Wasserman HY"D wrote: All Torah leaders have Daas Torah to a certain degree. Some have 50%, others 25%, etc, while the rest of the person's mind is not Daas Torah – it is perhaps business daas or other people's opinions or some other type of understanding. Pure Daas Torah is only found amongst Gedolei Torah who have cast off the transient vanities of this world and are loyal exclusively to the Torah perspective .
(Kovetz Mamarim)
Talmid asks: Fine, so does "Daas Torah" include opposite de'ahs?
Chareidi: But of course!
Talmid: That's what I say -- So let them allow for other De'ahs to be heard!
Chareidi: Too risky; you must know by now the dangers of allowing people to think for themselves - they will have too many options and we cannot tell where this may lead. The very definition of Judaism could be lost in the sea of possibilities... who would gain from that? No, it is best if people just stay within our stated terms and all will be well - there is nothing to gain from diversity of thought other than confusion and pain. Really, it's for the best - if the masses would understand this they would thank us for it.
So ends this exchange between the Chareidi and the Talmid.
A short time later, the Talmid sends another email to the Chareidi:
Dear Rabbi,
I am feeling calmer already. Thanks to your wonderful advice, I have realized that I never enjoyed thinking for myself anyway. It was just something that my parents, who were modern Jews, wanted me to do so that they would feel that they succeeded in raising what they narrow-mindedly considered a healthy, well-rounded, existentially-focused and creative child. They had no idea how stressful this could be for someone who was more inclined to blind conformism and the incomparable pleasures of couch-potatohood.
With deep gratitude,
Your Talmid.
The Chareidi's response comes quickly.
Dear Talmid:
We appreciate your frankness, and we would like to point out that these were, no doubt, secular ideas that your esteemed Jewish parents had adopted, that caused them to feel the desire to influence you to think out out of the box. It is disconcerting that you still (even now) may associate this with their being Jewish - I assure you that had they been protected from foreign influences they would not have done this. We understand that many of our parents had to deal with many struggles - they were turbulent times - but it is our sincere hope that we can eliminate this attitude and at the very least save the future generations, even if some of the past generations were unfortunately harmed. We cannot stress the advantages of staying in line with our mainstream positions. Stick with us and you will find true peace. We wouldn't tell you this if we didn't really care.
Rabbi ______,
Agudas Gedolei Olam For A Better Tomorrow
But the Talmid has another dilemma:
Rabbi, I'm so mechubad that you deigned to answer me about my search for inner peace. I've just renewed my prescription to the Chareidi Observer and plan to stick to you like a fly to fly-paper from now on. BTW I have a Halachic she'eiloh: do you think it would be ba'al tashchis to destroy all the grass that grows between the cracks in the sidewalk in my neighborhood? It looks so antinomian and unaesthetic...
Chareidi:
We are pleased with your progress. Hashem is with you. And don't worry, we're the good guys; you're on the right team now. As to your shayloh: Removing the grass is not halachically problematic, but it's beneath the dignity of the Jewish people to take part in the removal. Therefore, a goy should be rented for this practice.
Talmid: Rabbi, I knew that Hashem created Goyim for a reason! I just don't get why He created grass...
Chareidi:
To keep Goyim & animals busy of course!
(Sarcasm is only one of the many sevices we offer here at Circus Tent)
So, who's the Lubavitcher in this piece?
ReplyDeleteROTFL-
ReplyDeleteIs this original? It is inspired and brilliant (PS please see my comment on the Chaim Berlin post)
"I knew that Hashem created Goyim for a reason! I just don't get why He created grass...
ReplyDeleteTo keep Goyim & animals busy of course!"
Sounds like this rebbele has been reading Albert Camus on the side: Sysyphus is happy rolling his rock up the hill only to have it roll down again. So too, the Goy must be content to clip the grass only to have it grow again. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. But it's beneath us.
I need to take a shower...
One can use this kind of sarcasm to describe the idiocy of your Rebbe, too. Buttmunch.
ReplyDeleteOne can also say that Howard here needs to lighten up.
ReplyDeletenice....please move the schechter post to the top, its a pain to scroll down every day- can't you stick with a winner?
ReplyDeletehoward the magnificinat - what a rachmones - a bitter guy with no sense of humor
ReplyDeletesuch a contrast to the freedom of thought for which chabad is so famous!!!
ReplyDeletethe only distinction i can see is that you are brainwashed by a dead rebbe!!
to the last anonymous - chill out.
ReplyDeleteeven though you are you are missing the humor in the whole style of the exchange, and even though the rebbe never trid brain washing techniques ( he was critisized by some for allowing too much expression, he refused to create a monolyth out of shlichus and indeed chabad ) but you are right that only true leaders continue to influence even after their passing.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeletewhether or not people are being brainwashed is not the issue, rather the substance that is 'washing' the brain.
and if you still cant see a difference; then you've got a lot of studying to do.
Ou Contrair, I have a great sense of humor. I am just using it to satire the idiocy of the "Rebbe." What, why do you have such thin skin about it?
ReplyDeleteHirshel,
ReplyDeleteI'm never quite sure who's side you're on, but really, must every stupid comment be posted? Why exactly do you have comment moderation in the first place?
I try and be "open" here, which means most comments get through, as stupid as they may be. I did just reject 5 comments about Barry Gurarie that had no relevance to the issue at hand. Comment moderation is more so that profanity doesn't get through. That usually happens when I wrote about Litvishe Roshei Yeshivah, their fans can be really nasty.
ReplyDelete>>but you are right that only true leaders continue to influence even after their passing.
ReplyDeleteI never wrote that only true leaders continue to influence even after their passing. I certainly would not write that about the . . ."Rebbe" as he was not true nor a leader.
Thank you for demonstrating the intellectual dishonesty the Rebbe taught his followers to have. Sheker is his only lasting contribution and legacy.
right, Malkiel and Company, they're the true leaders of Klal Yisroel.
ReplyDeleteGuffaw.
anonimous- you are probabaly not even frum because a frum people are not allowed to make such accusations without any subastance.
ReplyDeleteone thing i can tell - both you and the rebbe are in company they deserve- you are saying things that gedolim would not aprove ( if you go back to yosef dovs post you will see the miryad of gedoley yisroel that admired the rebbe, considere him to be a gaon and godol hador, went to him for brochos - all that is recorded and cannot be argued unlike your empty accusations - but then - you are not frum and you dont respect any gedolim at all.
the rebbe is in good company because all real gedolim including the rambam were criticised for some innovations.
You say tomayto, I say tomahto, you say da'as torah, I say Ruach hakodesh, you say brainwash, I say kabolas ol, you say rebbe, I say godol, etc.
ReplyDelete>>anonimous- you are probabaly not even frum because a frum people are not allowed to make such accusations without any subastance.
ReplyDeleteYet the "Rebbe" talked publicly about Rav Shach and the Chazon Ish in far more deragotory terms.
But its clear he was not frum for many other reasons.
>>one thing i can tell - both you and the rebbe are in company they deserve- you are saying things that gedolim would not aprove ( if you go back to yosef dovs post you will see the miryad of gedoley yisroel that admired the rebbe, considere him to be a gaon and godol hador, went to him for brochos - all that is recorded and cannot be argued unlike your empty accusations - but then - you are not frum and you dont respect any gedolim at all.
You cannot name five actual gedolim who said anything nice about the "Rebbe"--from the Brisker Rav to R' Ahron, from Rav Hutner to R' Yaakov--everyone had deep suspicions about the Rebbe." This is all substantiated by facts. Your empty assertious that a myriad of gedolim held of him is meaningless as you are not frum and have no problem lying. I am in far better company than the "Rebbe" and you, for that matter.
The Rambam was a gadol. The "Rebbe," like Jesus, Shabbetai Tzvi and Frank, was a nobody. Don't confuse nobodys for gedolim.
>>right, Malkiel and Company, they're the true leaders of Klal Yisroel.
ReplyDeleteCertainly to a more significant extend then Mendy the Plubmber.
Hey, if you can call them by your first name, I can call the plumber by his first name, too.
tzig, es iz noch do a gvul. These were the kind of comments you started moderation for.
ReplyDelete