Monday, March 24, 2008

"You have no idea how much I miss the Rebbe."




These words were the last that Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum, z"l, said to a renowned Crown Heights Rosh Yeshiva two weeks ago. The two had been friends for over forty years, and had been discussing sichos of the Rebbe, amongst inyonei haklal. These words are probably not what you'll see in the obituaries this week, but they're true nonetheless. You may see others forget that he learned in yeshiva; they may just talk about his great accomplishments, but that won't change the facts. The little kuntres on the table further proves my point. Reb Eli was a talmid of Tomchei Tmimim throughout his late childhood and adult yeshiva life. He was a chossid of the Rebbe with all his heart, and had great tza'ar seeing what others had made of the Rebbe after his passing. RET's passing came as a great shock to all that ever benefited from any of his endeavors, and they are in the many tens of thousands. He had "mazel" that his passing was made public the same day that the world learned about the Dunner tragedy; since he'd probably not like all the fuss that's made of him.

HIs father, Harav Avrohom Yakov, z"l, was an old time Rav for whom both the Lubavitcher Rebbe and Satmar Rov, zt"l had great respect. Eli's friends tell me that his father was the go-between for the two, the shliach if you will. He was also what you might call a Ruzhiner Kano'i, a talmid of the great Rav Meir Arik, and a Kopycynitzer/Husyatiner Chossid. Why he sent his sons to Lubavitch, and not to Chaim Berlin or Torah Vodaas is anybody's guess.

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Yehi Zichro Baruch.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

So thaaaaats where he got his kruma shitos from. Read his articles....they are straight apikorsos....just like the Rebbe King Messiah amen!

Now it all makes sense!

I knew he was a flaky, strange dude, but was never able to figure out why.

Thanks Tzig!

Anonymous said...

Actually R'Elis father was himself a rebbe, though I forget what he was called.He had a bais medrash in Queens, now run by another son, it has recently been rebuilt into a beautiful large shul on Metropolitan Ave.R'Elis brother is a very fine and eidelah guy.I know he learned in Lakewood, but maybe he too was in Lubavitch prior to that

Anonymous said...

nice words snag10 be mevaze and say l"h about some talmid chochom just after he is niftar. This really should get you a prime seat in the olam haemes.
And even if you were joking it is still a disgusting thing to say.

Anonymous said...

http://geocities.com/saveisaac/

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/03/25/2008-03-25_jewish_family_sues_jamaican_reform_schoo.html

Anonymous said...

Was not joking.
The man was a total apirkoris.

Period.

Look on Yeshiva World.....they are talking about him like he was the gadol hador.
puuuuleeeeeze!

Anonymous said...

I heard this story from R’ET’s family

When his father started looking for a Yeshiva to send his son, he went and visited a few yeshiva’s and would sit in the lunchroom during lunch. It was based on the conversations he heard in the lunchroom that he selected the Yeshiva TT.

Anonymous said...

His father a rebbe ? He was a rav of a shtibel called Khal Adas Yereim.
Since we are being honest here, just tell me the real truth was rabbi Teitelbaum a chasid of the rebbe in the years before the rebbe's petirah ?

Anonymous said...

דער בילד איז מיר באקאנט, ווי אזוי האסטו געלייגט א האנט דעראויף?

Anonymous said...

The problem with Snag10's comment is not so much what he said -because everyone loved R' Eli & knows that he was an Ish Emes & Tzadik.

It's that jerks like him intimidate people from getting involved in doing for the klal.

So in addition to the L"H, etc., perhaps someone reading about R' Eli was inspired to do something, then he sees your comment & says "Forget it...they'll call me an apikoris. I'd rather not get involved."

Now you know why everyone signs off as Anonymous. We're so afraid to say or do anything because of all the Snag10's out there.

Chaval!! What an avlah!

Anonymous said...

Schneour
One can be a rebbe and still have a 'shtiebel', like many others in Willy and BP.
'Why were the Teitelbaums sent to Lubavitch and not Tota Vodaas'
Actually at the time Lubavitch was very much like Tora Vodaas in an era that was less partisan.There were boys who shaved! Sam Melamed for example.The Blumenkranz bro's attended Lubavitch.Marcel Weisman, well known lawyer attended Lubavitch in Montreal and was chavrusa with one of the best guys to ever come out of Lubavitch, the unforgetable R'Aizik Schvei z'l.
'Twas a different world once upon a time

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Reb Schneur

I think the title of this post tells you all you need to know. Even when attacking Meshichism he would do it out of respect for the Rebbe.

Anonymous said...

As one who knew his, and is related, yes, he was always a Lubavitcher. But he was majior turned off of the crayzness in CH today, and that cooled his adore for all things Lubavitch, to the point of his children NOT marrying or attending Lubavitch

Anonymous said...

I should just add, that R. Eli T. was not a Lubavitcher in the HT mold. By that I mean he had a great deal of respect for all Gedolim and Yidden, including Rav Aron Kotler. I never heard him mention Rav Sach, so I don't know, but I would have been shocked to hear him say a derogatory word about him. His Chabad was more along the lines of 'this is the sores of my nesomah ' view than the 'Chabad is all there is’ view so prevalent today. He was a follower of Chabad, but was not of the opinion that the movement could do no wrong etc.

Anonymous said...

Just to add one more comment, he wasn't a party man in any shape or form, of any party. Had he been more Litvish, he would have been a Litvisher none party man.

Anonymous said...

mamesh

Anonymous said...

his son dovid never grew a beard, dont seem like a lubab to me.

but ya know how it goes, the lubabs claim that everyone was one of theirs.

sure thing

Anonymous said...

Rav Yaakov Teitelbaum was anti college, anti modern and super anti Zionist. But he was also an Agudist. This didn't leave many choices for appropriate yeshivos. BTW I thought his oldest son learnt in Monsey.

In any event both Reb Yaakov Teitelbaum and his son were wonderful people and had a positive influence on many. There is something about convictions that are strongly held when combined with a twinkle in the eye, a panim meiros as it were, that allows such people to be influences and role models for many others. I am very sad to hear the awful news about Reb Eli Teitelbaum.

Anonymous said...

Tzig can you do a post on torah Vodaas politics:
1) the malachim breakaway; 2)the almost joint CB college venture, 3)R' Dovid Leibowitz breakaway; 4) R' Yackov Kaminetsky and R' Gedaliah Schorr Split & the 5) Margo-YTT heist. I realize it isnt so chasidish but hey it could be interesting.

Anonymous said...

The Rav Schorr/Rav Kamenetzky split is a real mystery to me. Either way, my respect for both greats is endless. I have a particularly strong hergesh for Rav Schorr's style, Torah and personality and brilliance.

Anonymous said...

>>nice words snag10 be mevaze and say l"h about some talmid chochom just after he is niftar. This really should get you a prime seat in the olam haemes.
And even if you were joking it is still a disgusting thing to say.

The rebbe said worse about the Chazon Ish.

Anonymous said...

anon 9:37

The tape of the Purim farbrengen when the Rebbe spoke about the C.I is public. He NEVER called him an apikorus at all. From your outlandish statement it would seem you repeat stuff from others that you accept as fact w/o bothering to check. That you didn't check, meila, but to make such statements could give the impression that you have a not so small agenda... Milsa de-aveeda ligluya...

Anonymous said...

Rabbi Tietelbaum produced a lot of quotes for the Satmar Ideoluges as Gelbman and Fulop, they love him since he was not a Hungarian and he saw the whole world of Galicia the way they are dreaming,

Anonymous said...

to anon 5:23

Milsa de-aveedea ligluya ... lo mishakra inshei

מכלל דלאו איניש הוא

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

sholom takes the cake for stupid comment of the day.

Anonymous said...

“sholom takes the cake for stupid comment of the day.”

Against fierce competition

Anonymous said...

i think i saw this picture in the hamodia, from an interview of theirs with rabbi teitelbaum.
am i wrong? or is it the exact same pose?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

I'll have to take a look

Anonymous said...

yeah take a goodlook
Yosef718

Anonymous said...

>>That you didn't check, meila, but to make such statements could give the impression that you have a not so small agenda... Milsa de-aveeda ligluya...

What he justified was brazen and disgusting. That he justified it in public with flimsy and illogical reasoning to support his idealogy makes him even worse. There is no question in my mind that the Rebbe is forced to regret his bad decision to this day. And you should feel sorry for it too. All of you should.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who attempts to equate Eli T. with Lubavitch is very naive.

Sholomo Karlebach also learned in Lubavitch but behaved in his popular life not as befitting even for a frum yid.

The fashion designer who dressed Un-Tnisudig models in Torah Mantelech also learned in Lubavitch in his youth.

Even the one associated with the arrest of the F. Rebbe also called referred to him honorably as REBBE (but the F. Rebbe didn't allow him to carry his peckel).

Barry Gurrary was also and Einikel, yet his fought the Rebbe.

And anyone who wants to praise this nevela because he was against the meshichisten is foolish enough to have forgotten that Eli T. was critical of Lubavitch long before the Era of the Meshichisten.

For past 20 - 30 years (or more) Eli T. did not behave like a Lubavitcher at all WHATSOEVER.

Last but not least Eli T. was a world renowned Whistle Blower for frum Jews, yet he was a teacher in Torah Temimah where Koloko abused boys for the past few GENERATIONS while everyone at Torah Temimah remained silent including the silence of Eli T.!!!!!!!!!!!