Thursday, December 24, 2009

Dear Mum - 9 (numbers have changed)


M0she Sharett - guest speaker at the KG - in 1948

Yeshivas Chevron, Yom Sheni leseder "Vehoyo ki Yeviacho,"
4th Jan, 1954

Dear Parents,

It is now some time since I have heard from you ....

The news of the demise of Rabbi Dessler ZT"L in Bne Brak last Thursday has probably reached you by now. The Yeshivah had a coach to the Levayoh. Many Hespedim were held in Ponovitch where he was Mashgiach. The first speaker was Rav Herzog, who was again interrupted by many members of the local Kolel Chazon Ish and various people from Yerushlaim. He is quite foolish in persisting in his attempts to speak to unsympathetic audiences. Perhaps this time he will have learnt his lesson. It is interesting to note that in today's Hatzofeh (the Mizrachi organ) there is published a letter from Rav Herzog to Shapiro, the Mizrachi Cabinet Minister, asking him to do what he can to be Mevatel the Chok Sherut Leumi as it is causing a Machlokes in Klal Yisroel. There were many thousands at the Levayoh which proceeded along the same long road to the Beis Olam where grass has not yet started to grow over the Kever of the Chazon Ish ZT"L. In Bne Braq [R'] Moshe Sternbuch intoduced me to his future parents-in-law, who are a most charming couple. At the same time I also had the opportunity of looking round the new kitchen in Ponovitch, completed only a few weeks ago. It is said to be the last word in planning and equipment.

On Friday night I was at the Gerer Tish where I had not been for some time. I was disappointed to learn that the previous week or fortnight had been honoured by the presence of Barnett Janner [MP & Board of Deputies Chairman] and Neville Laski [a Manchester QC, macher & knacker]. I would have liked the opportunity to "Chap a Shmuess" with them. Two new Bachurim from Gateshead arrived last week and I accompanied one to the Rebbe's house after the Tish, hoping to gain admittance and having a good excuse. The latter is to some extent a necessity as he normally demands a reason why one wants to see him. However, someone was in before us and it took rather long. Meanwhile, a few people collected outside awaiting admission. When finally the door opened it was done so by the Rebbe himself and seeing the number assembled he shouted (in Yiddish) "Is this a bus stop?" Owing to the hour he only gave me a few minutes. ...............

Learning is going well............

Elozor

[HT -
I don't get how people were so short-sighted when it came to Rav Herzog. Here it was eight years after the Holocaust, when he had saved so many Gedolei Yisroel, and had saved so many children who were stuck in monasteries when their parents put them there so that they be saved from certain death. That was beside for the fact that he was a talmid chochom in his own right. I would also assume that he was invited by the Yeshiva authorities to be maspid, he didn't just come on his own. Yet some people there tried to shout him down and not let him speak. The same thing happened at Reb Isser Zalman's levaya, if you remember. Oyb Azoi, there seems to be a disrespect shown here for the baaleibatim of the yeshivah as well. What he could do to stop the Giyus Banos is questionable. Just like DBG didn't listen to Reb Meir Karelitz and Reb Hirsh Peysach Frank and Reb Isser Zalman when they met with him and begged him to rescind the decree, despite RHP also being on the State's payroll, so too would he not listen to Rav Herzog. It just goes to show how things have always been the same, despite having changed so much.]

Previous "Dear Mum" letters: Please not that the numbers were recently changed. "Parts" were taken out, meaning no more Part I and Part II, only numbers.
Dear Mum - 1
Dear Mum - 2
Dear Mum - 3
Dear Mum - 4
Dear Mum - 5
Dear Mum - 6
Dear Mum - 7
Dear Mum - 8

12 comments:

schneur said...

Tell me do they teach practical Torah in the yeshivas? How about Hakaros hatov ? How about derech eretz for a major talmid Chochoom .
Did they all forget that Rav Herzog saved many bnai Torah and Roshe yeshiva in the war years. The Belzer rav did not forget and was always mechabed Rav Herzog. I believe he R. Herzog was mesader kiddushin at the rav's wedding in Jslm and yes another Mizrachi communal rav was mesader the Bilgroer rav's wedding.While the Aguda leaders bud their time rabbi Herzog and the leader of the mizrachi Moshe chaim Shapiro (another good Lithuanian Jew) swung into action in a ceaseless manner
.
So because he does not agree with your politics you try to embaress him., and of course for Bnai Tore it does not matter that its a levaya, iguess its even more freilicher there. What would they say in Ponoviesz if 1,000 Bnai Akiba and hesder bachurim came to disturnb their roshe yeshivas shmuessen ?

LW said...

Fearing the evil unknown, staying safely distant from haskafos of the tainted Mizrachi misyavnim, was the prelude of vocal Kanoim.

Those who were (are) privy to the sole propriety of "right derech Inc" were threatened by Misyavnic accomplishments.

Rabbi Herzogs saving gedolei yisrael gave them all the more reasons to delegitamize him. "Who knows maybe people will validate his Haskafos and Top hat ch"v!"

Its a pity no one gave Rav Herzog Shiurim on the intricate laws of Becoming a Gadol.

snagville said...

You guys (HT, Schneur) are a joke. Culture is the strongest component of the makeup a person (stronger than religion or Chasidus). Even I wouldn't dare to start judging Chabadtzker from the Era of the Freidiger Rebbe just because it is not possible to relate to the culture at that time. Because of the argument I made for me to defend them would require a similar leap so I will satisfy myself by just saying, the danger of Gius Banos was Yarog Val Yavor and if it would have passed the frum community could not have flourished. They must have felt that Mizrachi was the cover for the government and lent legitimacy for them. BTW, if you notice the fellow writing who seems like a nice enough chap according to I believe all of us, seems to be more bemused at it (even knocking RH) like there goes drunk Uncle Charlie again, as opposed to appalled so obviously it wasn't as bad as you are dreaming up.

schneur said...

Lets not forget that a good number of the later day Saints - kanoim worked for the Mizrachi or their schools. The present Maran shlit'a was a pakid (dayan)in the official rabanut (the same rabbanut that Rav Herzog headed) for many years and on almost daily basis disobeyed the Brisker rav by entering the heichal Shelomo building. The previous incumbent also taught in one of the Mizrachi yeshivas. I wonder did kanoim interuptthe Mran shlitas shiurim to the hapoel Hamizrachi(Tiffert Bachurim) in the old days im meah Shearim too ?

jaim said...

Schneour,
You are funny!
You are all up in arms about a mayseh from 55 years ago!!
Analyzing, taken to bits a cute letter of a young bochur written to his parents.What is this a deep shiur in Halachik Man? A maamar from The Mitteler Rebbe?

Lutziner said...

Jaim, Schneur is a historian.

Whoever forgets the past is condemned to repeat it."
--George Santayana.

"I have become totally tired of history, because I feel history is a long misunderstanding."
--Shimon Peres

Anonymous said...

Schneur,
When the Belzer rov was asked how come he took Mizrachi rsbonim for the siddur kidushin? he answered Mora Deasra..the Satmar rov asked then if in Munkatch they also had respect for the Mora Deasra..
in the Kesovim of the Bilgrayer Rov he writes that my brother despises Kanoim

Anonymous said...

Hirshel.
I believe that all this harrasment gpoing on in that era were all the works of a minor group led by Margolias and Semnitzer, they were traveling rabble rouser, it all started by the hatchet job they did on Rav Kook to delegitimize him and I have to admit it was a major win for them.

Anonymous said...

Jaim.
I dont know I old you are, but I guarantee that you are cuter then that bucher, I am telling it to you, just in case your mother never told you so.

jaim said...

Anon,
You sound a bit like a krankeh zuchor.Keep away from me

Anonymous said...

Kranke zuchor, looks like gutter lingo of Zipcode 11211
I have a will from my folks to stay away from anyone realatede to that Zipcode.

Anonymous said...

ניתל מיט א ת????