Our old buddy Yeshiva World posted this article about the late Reb Chaim Stein, Rosh Yeshivas Telshe-Cleveland. The article is all good and well, but what caught my eye? the pictures in the background. (Is he reading the Yated there?) You can tell alot about a man by the pictures on the wall behind him. You see the MaHaRI"L, Reb Yosef Leib Bloch of Telshe, and his son and Memale Mokom the Telsher Rov, Reb Avrohom Yitzchok Bloch, HY"D - zeide of R' Avremel Ausband of Riverdale, his mother's father - and I believe the Steipler as well. But then, surprise, surprise! The Old Skolyer Rebbe! Not once, but twice. In the left hand corner of both big pictures you see him proudly displayed. What gives? We know that Reb Chaim had Lubavitcher Shvoggers in Kfar Chabad, and even his shver, Reb Chaim Leib Zaks of Uzda, lived there after WW2, but what was the connection to the SR?
Any suggestions?
IIRC the previous Skloye Rebbe ZYA had good diplomatic relations with many of the Litvisha nd RAK among others gave a haskama on his sefer.
ReplyDeleteHe was a Gaoinisha mentsch. IIRC he had a unique and iluyisha custom in firing tisch. He'd ask for a bunch of kashas, think for about five minutes and then deliver a shtikel/pilpul that would tie and be meyashev them all together.
וואס האט דאס מיט ר' חיים'ן צו טאן?
ReplyDeleteDid reb chaim stien learn in torah vodaath in willi?
ReplyDeleteif he was there , then he probably went in to him...
ES Chatohai Ani Mazkir, that I passed his house on Bedfored av and never stepped in to see this giant.
I was no Satmarer, but they had the power to besmirch anybody...
Torah VoDaas? noooo
ReplyDeletehe was a Telsher talmid!!! from wayyyy back
Rav Chaim became very close to the Skolyer Rebbe during his son, Sholom Refoel Yehuda's, illness. Rav Chaim secured brachos from the Skolyer and the Ribnitzer and at least one more Rebbe that i cannot recall right now. Rav Chaim remained close to the Skolyer until the Rebbe's passing.
ReplyDeleteyour riend,
dovy (talmid of Rav Chaim)
R' Chaim Stein's son had a kameya from the Skolyer Rebbe which he received from him after he got sick, and wore it day and night. he lived for many years after that.
ReplyDeleteWe know R' Chaim was extremley close to the Ribnitzer Rebbe, but the Skolya is news. The Skolya had a son-in-law a Mirrer Talmid (Briskman) who unfortunately did not have any children, but R' Chaim was not a Mirrer, only R' Pesach was.
ReplyDeleteWeren't they related by marriage?
ReplyDelete"He'd ask for a bunch of kashas, think for about five minutes and then deliver a shtikel/pilpul that would tie and be meyashev them all together."
ReplyDeleteIt was three Pesukim. Any three Pesukim. And some times wise guys would give three " Vaydaber Hashem El Moshe Laymer"
"He'd ask for a bunch of kashas, think for about five minutes and then deliver a shtikel/pilpul that would tie and be meyashev them all together."
ReplyDeleteIt was three Pesukim. Any three Pesukim. And some times wise guys would give three " Vaydaber Hashem El Moshe Laymer". On which he would discourse beautifully. As recounted to me by my snag father who attended a number of times.
Twiselton etc.,
ReplyDeleteIt was more than that! His impromptu shtickel Torah would be replete with gematrias! I personally once witnessed it.
After the old Rebbe was niftar,R"Chaim became very close to the next Rebbe R"Refoel Goldstein as well
ReplyDeletek'yadua the rebbe charachter in the chosen by potok was based on the skolyer.
ReplyDeleteclose to refuel? are you making that up?
Speaking of R Chaim, does anyone have any idea if and what the Beis Din paskened re: the running of Telz-Cleveland?
ReplyDeleteTzig,
ReplyDeleteDo you have any take on the way the Rabinowitz family stole the Rebbiste away from R"Refoel Goldsyein?
dovy said...
ReplyDeletek'yadua the rebbe charachter in the chosen by potok was based on the skolyer"
IIRC, the chaim potok used the malachim from willy as his character.
it's a pre-WW2 chassidus in NY, with most of their neighbors americans, modern, etc. it's almost definitely a take on the malach and his group.
Speaking of R Chaim, does anyone have any idea if and what the Beis Din paskened re: the running of Telz-Cleveland
ReplyDeleteTzig why dont you do your homework and post the info?
anon 10:38am, goldstein is an eidim by the rebbe's oldest son, while rabinowitz is a son of the younger son. so it's basically a toss up who should get it. neither really has much in terms of chassidim anyway.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Reb Chaim never saw anyone who didn't bruk - until he came to America. He came from so deep in the Lita that Chasidim were a non-issue; even sinah to them. Hence, he would often make pro-chsidic remarks in public.
ReplyDeleteFred
ReplyDelete"He came from so deep in the Lita that Chasidim were a non-issue; even sinah to them"
so did the chazon ish, not see no chasidim till Israel,and he liked chasidim only for their long jackets
according to what I was told by a einkel. Reb Chaims son Sholom Refoel Yehuda A"H was very close to the skloya. I guess that explains it
ReplyDeleteRabbi Avrohom Moshe Rabinowitz is the oldest of three ben achar ben grandchildren of the Skolya Rebbe ZYA. Anyone who knows history knows that he was crowned by the Rebbes brother Rav Mechel Rabinowitz at the levaya. It was written up in many publications at that time like The Yiddishe Vort etc. R' Refoel Goldstein even continued to daven and attend tish of the present Rebbe for about six months. He then wandered around until he opened his own shtiebel. Rav Stein was close to the present Skolya Rebbe but had nothing to do with Goldstien.
ReplyDeleteמיין טאטע איז געווען א גרויסע חסיד פון די הייליגע סקאליע רבי זצוק"ל, ער האט מיר פארציילט, אז ווען ער איז אריין בקודש פנימה אין זיין ימי שבע ברכות, איז אויך הרה"ג ר' חיים געווען אין דארט כדי להתברך ולהוושע.
ReplyDeleteאויך האט מיר מיין טאטע פארציילט, אז ר' חיים האט געהאט א זוהן וואס איז געווען זייער קראנק, און ר' חיים האט באקומען א ברכה פון דעם הייליגען רבי'ן. און פון דאמולט האט געהאלטען זיך א חסיד פון דעם סקאליע,ן רבין!
זכותו יגן עלינו!
אויך האב איך געהערט, אז די סקאליע רבי זצ"ל האט אסאך געפאסט ווען דער זוהן פון די טעלזער ראש ישיבה איז קראנק געווען
ReplyDeleteB"H
ReplyDeleteInteresting to note, a letter from the L.R. in his Igros, volume 19, page reish lamed gimmel, where it appears from the letter (my guess) that there was some sina/badmouthing that R' Chaim Stein was asking forgiveness from the L.R.
Does anyone care for a different reading?
http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=15892&st=&pgnum=251
Duby
ReplyDeletehard to tell. Maybe it was in Telshe that there was sinah/machlokes that he was referring to.