POTD

 

I think I found this on Otzar Hachochmah. No ID provided. Just a Yid from the alte heim. 

Exact origin unknown.

This is an apology of sorts

 

?אפאר חב"ד פאמיליעס... ביני לבינך מה הם

 

Just when you think you've seen it all, and that people realize that it's 2021 and you don't publish anything that is on your mind, even if these pleasant thoughts do cross your mind - You get slapped with a dose of reality.

This opinion piece was published today but was already leaked to whatsapp late last night. The writer is lamenting the fact that by the time you'll read this it'll be day 6 of the Surfside Tragedy, yet there's no sense of urgency. This after all the tragedies and deaths we've seen since Covid arrived on the scene, in addition to Miron and Karlin. At first, we thought that it was only a few Chabad families that perished, so yes, it's a "bitter story" but not something earth-shattering. No reason to not go about your daily routine. But by now, when it's become clear that some 36 Jews are among the missing... Now we can begin to react. 

The irony in all of this is the subliminal "לימוד זכות" happening between the lines. The writer finds no fault in the fact that it's taken frum people several days to react to the tragedy, yet at the same time sees no issue with writing that about Jews of Chabad persuasion.

Friends in frum media tell me that it's not the first "אקסישע" thing published here, but people obviously don't care enough or don't bother to read it. The proof is in the ad pudding, ads galore in this rag. I'll give them the BOTD and say that most people only read these and similar circulars for the ads and classifieds and could care less what the opinion pieces say. They have Kol Mevaser for hard-hitting news and opinion!

Kol Berama has yet to issue a clarification... Not that I asked for one.

בעלזער חסידים פארקויפן לאקשן צו די צייטונגן

 

So this clipping from 1960 or so announces to the Jewish world that young Berel Rokeach, known today as the Belzer Ruv, was to marry the daughter the of the Klausenberger Rov. After a six year engagement and when he turns 18. We all know this never happened, nor was such a shidduch ever sealed. So what happened? The יודעי דבר say that this was some kind of ploy to get young Berel to shape up. It's not easy being a young orphan. His father the Bilgorajer Rov passed away when he was barely 2 years old. Being that young orphan who everybody whispers about that he'll be the leader of Belz when he becomes of age doesn't make things any easier. So they decided that one way to get him to shape up was to tell him that a suitable shidduch is being found for him, but he'll need to undergo a farher, etc., and that means that no more fun and games, time to hit the seforim.

So the elders of Belz sat down and made a list of which gutte yidden had eligible daughters. They came upon the Klausenberger Rov. The good thing was that he had no bad blood with Belz, like some others did. Bobov comes to mind as one Rebbe who had.

Here's where it gets a little murky.

It seems like they pressured the Klausenberger Rov enough for him to agree to such a shidduch in principle. We all know that the Klausenberger didn't want or need yichus, he had plenty of that on his own. What he wanted from a prospective match for his daughters was bletter gemoroh, and as long as you were Jewish it didn't matter where you came from. I guess to a point. Many  - or all? - of his eidemer are from simple stock, but they passed the farhers. There was even a Lubavitcher bochur who had dreams of becoming his eidem... But that's for another time. So maybe the Klausenberger agreed to the shidduch after being pressured by a group of crusty Galitzyaners like himself provided that Berele would pass the farher just like anybody else. In the end, the Belzer Ruv married the daughter of the then Vizhnitzer Rosh Yeshiva and the rest is history. Reb Moshe'le Hager had already made a shidduch with the Skverrer Rebbe and today his sons-in-law are the leaders of the largest chassidisen in the world. Looking back, it would be hard to see that shidduch ever succeeding. וד"ל.

A search on Twitter shows you that PY Mund's Genealogy says that the two had a falling out early on in the Rebbistive, which began before he got married, and which may or may not have affected his chances at the shidduch.

People tell me they miss the blog...

This warms my heart. I almost started again pretty seriously when you-know-what came around at Purim of 5780, but I got busy with other things. Let's see if we can crank this old thing up again and keep it going. There's so much to talk about!