דער אונגארישער כולל שומרי החומות פרעדיגט בראסלעווער פראפאגאנדע?!

The whole idea of a Chinese auction seems strange for an old-fashioned institution like KSH. But times change, and they need to get with the program. I get that. So they're doing their own auction. Fancy prizes and all. Not sure about computers. But the characters they choose for this catalog, and the theme, seem a bit strange for the Hungarian Kolel of the תלמידי מרן החת"ס. Almost as if they're trying to follow the led of other organizations who justify and means to make money, be it crying children or similar gruesome images. The following are several images that people who choose to enter their auction that they're helping these two yungeleit feed and clothe their families and thereby allow their souls to be nourished as well.

Bid Online

 




















דער אפענער רעקל, מילא. די מאדערנע אמעריקאנער טלית קטן- אהן די גלעקאלאך וועט מען אויך פארזעהן. But the young man on the left is not what we usually see in KSH circles. That's more Shuvu Bonim, etc. They probably made him put his knapsack away.

But what have we here? A Chumash ע"פ לקוטי הלכות from Breslov! Who is this fellow? Is he a Breslover? a recent convert? if not, why does he get support from KSH?! Is the spiritual nourishment that they speak of? Should Hungarian Jews be supporting such nourishment?

And what's this hat-laid-back, top-button-open, nice-white-smile young man? Which Yerushalmi yungerman looks like this, other than א האלבער שב"בניק?

So now he can buy a bugaboo carriage and take the kid to the babysitter, on his way to Kolel. All from his Kolel check? Or from the Pesach חלוקה?

Oy! what a little marketing can do the age-old image of the Yerushalmi yungerman! ATMs, credit cards, bugaboos, and white teeth....

Despite our ideological differences... if this is what will save Israel, then I cannot sit idly by...

Then it's my responsibility to post it here and do my part. At first it's Uman ראש השנה. But that helps people on a personal level. Helps them get inscribed in the Book of Life, because Reb Nachman is the best lawyer that money can buy. Then we were told that the 10 kapitlach help anytime, but only for the חטא הידוע. Now we hear that it helps all Jews all the time! And it'll beat the enemies of Israel and the Jewish People into submission. So I too will do my part in spreading the good word here. After all, most of you don't see the light poles in Boro Park, so if not for me you wouldn't know about this project. The only problem is, I see now that this took place yesterday already... Oh, well.

פיינע בראסלאווער פראפאגאנדא

  פיר וועלטן    

Box.com link

חבקו"ק שבירושלים במיטבו

Children of Jerusalem - Yehuda 

National Film Board of Canada

As you can see from the link posted here, this is a series of documentaries about the children of Jerusalem in the '90s. Yehuda is from what you might call a ChaBaKOOK family with very strong Carlebachian influences. He studies ספר המדות from Reb Nachman page by page and tries to remember it by heart. His father/parents may be Shlomo's mekurev, for all I know. כה נראה לי. אני לא מכיר אותם, אבל מהיפושים ברשת נ"ל שהם חסידי קרליבך. What is clear is that the family marches to their own beat... I doubt they could be told about dress codes and what kind of shoes to wear... Yehuda goes/studies at Cheder Toras Emes Lubavitch in Yerushalayim and is a talmid in Reb Yankel Bloi's class. There the other kids made sure to טשעפע him about his very long peyos. So much so that he cut them short one day and was embarrassed to show his face at home.... But now he's quite comfortable with them and likes to find other kids with similar side locks in the story books that he reads with his younger brother. I'd love to find out what happened to young Yehuda.

ר' יואלי ראטה ברענגט אריין אביסל "אמירה רכה" ביי אים אין ישיבה - COMPLETE VIDEO

Attorney and activist Mrs. Ruchie Freier takes time out her "azoy bizi" schedule and visits Rabbi Yoeli Roth's Yeshivah. The haters and those looking for controversy and/or reasons to hate seem to have found one. Vos heist! a woman speaking to bochurim?! What will they do next, have co-ed classes? Then those girls will put on tefillin, of course. You can tell from the body language, the twisting of the beard, that both Rabbi Roth and his colleague are a bit uncomfortable, but heck, so would I! But the lads sure seem to have enjoyed their minute with the lady!

!די בראסלאווער נעמען איין וויליאמסבורג

זעהט נאר אידן וואס היינט האט פאסירט אין דער עואב"י וויליאמסבורג! א לאסט אויטא שטעלט זיך אפ אינעם הויפט גאס און הענגט אויף אזא שילד! א שילד וואס רופט אידן צו וויילען ראש השנה אין אומאן ביים ציון פון רבי נחמן בראסלאווער! צי קען מען זאגען אז די דאזיגע שילדען זענען בעצם א מציבה אויפ'ן קבר פונעם אלטן חדר אין וויליאמסבורג? וואו טאמער עס וואלט אפילו ארויף געגאנגען אזא שילד וואלט עס נישט געדויערט קיין צוויי מינוט ביז עס פליהט אראפ? אדער איז בראסלאוו נישט קיין סטראשע אויף די אלגעמיינע סדר הדברים אין ווילי, ממילא גייט עס קיינעם נישט אהן? אבער א ליובאוויטשער שילד וואלט מען שוין נישט ערלויבט? אדער איז עס גאר א געראנגל צווישען די אלטע און נייע דארט? 'עמער זעהן

In a little shtiebel, on the outskirts of Boro Park, this Yiddele was davening like it was going out of style

ר' נחמן האט אין אים געברענט

א סיגעטער בראסלאווער חסיד

Funny how Mr. Wiesel is so taken by Reb Nachman. Not funny, just interesting. What is funny is how we were so horrified by EW's connection to Rabbonim and Rebbes, and how the zealous ideology had already so taken over by the time I was of age to take note of it in the 80's. As if he was to be excommunicated for speaking of the pain and suffering he endured both during and after the War.

יאללה, רבינו!

Who says being frum and chassidish can't be fun and kosher?

a little something for your Monday

   ניצחתי ואנצח, גמרתי ואגמור, אני נהר המטהר מכל הכתמים. אני איש פלא ונשמתי פלא גדול, חידוש כמוני לא היה מעולם

Breslov Bar Band...

Not quite sure what a bar band is, but it sounds OK!

!א ליכטיגן חנוכה

enjoy Chilik Frank's sweet clarinet.

On the "sterilization" of public figures

Source

 Today was the Yohrtzeit of the בעל הפתק" רבי ישראל בער אדעסער". I happened to come across this while reading "בצילו של הרבי", a book about Breslover Chassidim. There are some major, major characters there, and I mean that in a good way. Some real עובדי השם. Based on what I can tell, the author is מאנשי ישוב הישן and doesn't care for the Na-Nachs, so what does he do when he get to Reb Yisroel Ber? He writes alot about his childhood, his לב טוב, his התקרבות to Breslov through the Breslover chossid Reb Yisroel Karduner of Tveryah, and his עבודת השם. But he ignores the פתק part of his life, which - truth be told - was not such a long time, considering that he was born somewhere between 1888 and 1897, and died in 5755/1994. I've seen this approach with many of the "mainstream" Breslovers, and I very much understand it. They say that in his old age and feeble mind he was dragged into this mess by his "מקורבים."

But is it real?

The price of an "open-door" policy

There's trouble, trouble with a Capital T, in Uman, Ukraine. ס'גייט גרויסע קלעפ דארט, און עס ווערט נישט שטילער. What's happening is that there are very grandiose renovations being planned for Uman, stuff like hotels, shopping centers, etc. to cater to the thousands who visit there every year, and we're not just talking Rosh Hashonoh either. There are always people there these days. A YouTube search will show you that. There's also talk that the one of the Israeli Government offices, be it the Board of Tourism or some similar office, will begin to run things there. There are very prominent Breslovers that back it and there are those - no less prominent - that oppose it. We're talking ישוב הישן types here. And some of those who oppose it made their dislike known to the project's supporters by באנוצען זיך מיט הענט, ה"י. It seems like the fact that they got a tzetel from the Edah HaCharedis BaDatz allows them to stop it at all costs. It may be hard to believe,, but not all Breslov is Na-Nachs, etc. There's a core of קנאים that see their קנאות vs. The Jewish State as part and parcel of their "Breslovkeit." And then are those, no less frum and erlich, who don't see it as an issue at all. That sometimes happens when the Rebbe passes away during the Industrial Revolution  - everybody believes that this is what the Rebbe would've said or done. The question is why the BaDatz thinks it can tell people what to do in Uman. After all, this is a question that the local Rabbonim should handle, or at least Rabbonim within Breslov.

When I first began to write this piece, the idea was that the open-door policy that Breslov has is what caused this to become an issue in the first place. After all, the old-timers would never have such השגות were they to stay small and not do active outreach. It's only those that joined Breslov post-1960s that came up with this idea that the whole world needs to be in Uman by Reb Nachman. But then I realized that most of the old-timers are newcomers as well, they're just a little older than the new ones, but not by much. So it's not really that the old-timers can claim that they have the true Breslover mesorah. Besides, many of the old-timers are actually newer than the 'newcomers," if that's at all possible. Meaning, that some of those who oppose this Zionist plot to infiltrate Breslov are recent members of Breslov who may stem from backgrounds similar to the Yishuv HaYoshon folks are as such opposed to the plan. But "Breslov" in and of itself has nothing to do with this. So in essence the heading for this post kind of lost its point. But the other points remain...

מוטה פארט ווייטער

פונעם ליובאוויטשער רבינ'ס ציון אין קווינס איז ער געפארען אפסטעיט און זיך געטראפען מיט'ן סקווערער רבי'ן בביתו נאוה קודש אין ניו סקווער

יודעי דבר זאגען אז דאס אז די ס"ר טרעפט זיך מיט אן אפיציעלער בראסלאווער משפיע איז צוליב א משפחה מעשה; אז ער איז אים מכיר טובה צוליב א געוויסע סיבה, שאכ"מ. אונטער'ן רבי'ן שטייט דאכט זיך בנו ר' יעקב יוסף

מיר האבען אלע הנאה צו זעהן ווי ר' מוטה איז כובש מיט אהבה

אויך איז וויכטיג צו באמערקן אז דער יונגערמאן אהן דעם קאפעלוש (ר"ל) און אהן א גארטל (!) איז א א תושב ניו סקווער לשעבר וועלכע מוטה איז מקרב, כדרך משפיעי ברסלב בכלל. דאס אז די רבי נעמט אים אויף אזוי שיין און סימפאטיש
 ווארעמט אויך אהן דאס הארץ, מטעמים המובנים מאליהם

DISCLAIMER: I have never met R' Motta Frank, nor was I asked to post these stories about him.


אפדעיט: א "תמליל" פונעם שמועס

חדשות מבית יואלי ראטה

יואלי קנאקט ווייטער, און ווערט נישט נתפעל פון קיינעם. קיינע "מניעות" וועלן אים אפהאלטען פון טוהן וואס דער רבי הייסט. זיין משפחה שעמט זיך מיט אים טאקע, אבער ער איז מיט'ן רבי'ן, דער רבי איז זיין טאטע. דא זינגט ער מיט זיינע בחורים אין א פארק, ערגעץ וואו. דער רבי ר' נחמן איז מיט אים און גיט אים כוחות ווייל ער איז צוגעבונדען צום רבי'ן ע"י תלמידו המוהרא"ש. די בחורי חמד זענען אויך שטארק צוגעבונדען צום רבי'ן און זינגען צום אייבערשטן מיטן גאנצען כוח זייערע

וואס זאגען זייערע עלטערען, פרעגט איר? שווער צו וויסן. נישט אלע זענען בדעה אחת. אנדערע זענען צופרידן אז זייער קינד זעהט אויס אידיש און רעדט אידיש און רעדט צום אייבערשטן. אנדערע האבען אויפגעהויבן די הענט און האבען איינגעזעהן אז אזוי איז עס, דא איז דער בחור. קיין אנדערע מענטש רעדט נישט צו אים. יואלי מאכט אים פילן גוט און , טא , וויכטיג, אן אנדערע מלמד/מנהל האט אים ניטאמאל געוואלט אנקוקען, טא וואס זאל זי זיין, ברוגז אויף אים אז ער לערנט זיי צו זינגן און שפילן גיטאר???

איך קען "רילעיטען" צו ר' יואל. צוריק גייט ער שוין נישט. כאן נמצא כאן היה. ער וועט שוין פון שיק-ברסלב נישט אוועק גיין, so you might as well make the most of it. דהיינו בויען א קהילה פון מענטשן מיט ענדליכע הינטירגרונדען און לעבן מיט זיי און אנפייפן דער גארער וועלט. נאר אזוי וועט עס האבען א קיום. אדער פארען קיין ארה"ק. אנדערש וועלן זיי בלייבן "לעקיש" לעולמי לעד.

כנלענ"ד

Breslov - not for boys only!

Yoeli Roth expands into חינוך הבנות

The only difference between him and the SR, whom he hopes to imitate, is that the SR had thousands of potential children waiting to enroll in his schools. All they had to do was to be born... Roth has his work cut out for him if he wishes to have that many kids learn Sefer HaMidos by heart.

Brisker "Wikileaks"

There are 9 more pages of this...

If you're nice to me I'll post them all.

Thanks to an anonymous benefactor for sending me this. They say that this might be the work of one of the Schlesinger Bros. from London, reknowned 'Kanoyim'. I bring you this page now to show you that despite it all there was still the same old misnagdishe approach to Chassidim and their Rebbes. Not the Rebbes of today, but even the Alter Rebbe, Reb Nachman and the Sfas Emes. The fact that he says that Chassidim removed shtiklach from Tanya because of what Reb Chaim Volozhiner wrote later on to counter that shows us that -------- whatever.

Jury still out on Yoeli Roth

I very much relate to the very encouraging yet simple message: Lo LeHisya'esh, despite the fact that slogans like that are not mamesh in the Chabad spirit, or so I'm told - but that's beside the point. It seems like he's having an effect on them; I doubt these would be singing "Ich vil zahn an erlicher Yid" out loud was it not for Yoeli. אודה ולא אבוש, I stick to the general consensus when it comes to Shick of Breslov, and the fact that Yoeli's message is so closely tied into Shick is troubling to me. (As a matter of fact, it seems like all Shick has here in NY - other than the 2 guys who distribute his kuntreysim on the streets of Brooklyn - is Yoeli's bachurim!) Well, maybe not troubling, but makes me doubtful as to whether what he's doing is the right thing. Then there's the שמועות that kids he had in his Yeshivah are frei'ing out and that he's having the opposite effect of what he should be having on them. I take that accusation in stride, not knowing the cases and where those kids were up to when he took them in. He seems like a very angry young man at times, and the curled nose you see in the shmuessen videos is proof positive. So if his goal is to be mekarev these bochurim why is getting them to go to Shick so important to him? We wanna know, and until then we will not reach a verdict. There are lots of videos out there, we humbly suggest that you look for them and decide for yourself.

On another note: The guitar. what's with the guitar?! why is that the instrument of choice for all the Kumzitzers and at-risk kids doers?! Every singer worth his salt has decided that he needs to play the guitar, and without it he's incomplete. The Stutchiner Rebbe (Yudkowski) can be seen on the web playing a guitar and singing Carlebach to kids at risk. Is that the only way to reach these kids - or anybody, for that matter? And where is the outrage concerning Shlomo that was around not so long ago? My, how times have changed. Why, only 28 years ago Reb Mendel Wechter was beaten inches from death for learning Chassidus with bochurim. Today Roth is telling them to say mishnayos and become kabtzonim and he very defiantly puts his speeches on the internet for all to see... Have we lost the war aginst those that prey on young, innocent children who know not better than to be taken for a ride by cult leaders who use these people like Kleenex, and throw them in the trashbin once done with them?! O' how we miss the days of old.

It's seems like it's catching on, even among those already out of Yeshivah and not necessarily YR's talmidim...