A very gentle attack on the New Belzer Nusach

   a "Gentlemanly" attack on the new Belzer nusach by Hirshel Tzig on Scribd

do we encourage untruthful behavior?

photo source

So over Shabbos I davened in a shtiebel frequented by mostly Hungarian Charedim. Nice people, friendly and all. No complaints. A lot of Chassidus Mevueres seforim, as well as other Chabad Seforim. Several Tehillas Hashem siddurim as well. The Rov is a sweet Rebbishe type. He even shows me the end of the aliya when I'm called up. A-1 service. So there's this one bochur there, 14-15 years old. Seems to be a nice kid, but his davening irked me. While writing this I'm thinking that I may have written about it once before, when I had the same thoughts the last time I encountered his behavior. It may have even been the same kid! Anyhow, most of you don't remember anyway... So this kid davens with tnu'os meshunos. Strong shukkeling. Fists clenched. Veins popping. שמונה עשרה is a long ordeal. But he seems like someone who knows from this world. clean hat and shoes, etc. That's not to say that he's a total bluffer! He seems like a kid who means well. But my point is simply that he's getting way ahead of himself! He's not at that level of dveikus, and it doesn't seem like he's ever going to be there. But in his mind, since he maybe wants to be there all the outside trappings of being at that level are justified. And in his mind this is the way to get close to Hashem! Can it be that since we allow ourselves to be untruthful, דהיינו מ'נארט זיך, in ענינים של עבודה, that it spills over to all other aspects of life as well? That we're untruthful in our business dealings or with our children and spouses? Then again, what does the משנה say? וכל מי שאינו לא חיגר ולא סוּמָא ולא פִּסֵּחַ ועושה עצמו כאחד מהם  אינו מת מן הזקנה עד שיהיה כאחד מהם, שנאמר 'צדק צדק תרדוף - so maybe he has a point.

לכבוד יו"ט - קה קלי

We may not say it in Chabad, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy listening to it.


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 יָ-הּ אֵ-לִי וְגוֹאֲלִי אֶתְיַצְבָה לִקְרָאתֶךָ הָיָה וְיִהְיֶה הָיָה וְהֹוֶה כָּל גּוֹי אַדְמָתֶךָ

 וְתוֹדָה וְלָעוֹלָה וְלַמִּנְחָה וְלַחַטָּאת וְלָאָשָׁם וְלַשְּׁלָמִים וְלַמִּלוּאִים כָּל קָרְבָּנֶךָ זְכוֹר נִלְאָה אֲשֶׁר נָשְׂאָה וְהָשִׁיבָה לְאַדְמָתֶךָ סֶלָה אֲהַלְלֶךָּ בְּאַשְׁרֵי יוֹשְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ

 דַּק עַל דַּק עַד אֵין נִבְדַק וְלִתְבוּנָתוֹ אֵין חֵקֶר הָאֵל נוֹרָא בְּאַחַת סְקִירָה בֵּין טוֹב לָרַע יְבַקֵּר

 וְתוֹדָה וְלָעוֹלָה וְלַמִּנְחָה וְלַחַטָּאת וְלָאָשָׁם וְלַשְּׁלָמִים וְלַמִּלוּאִים כָּל קָרְבָּנֶךָ זְכוֹר נִלְאָה אֲשֶׁר נָשְׂאָה וְהָשִׁיבָה לְאַדְמָתֶךָ סֶלָה אֲהַלְלֶךָּ בְּאַשְׁרֵי יוֹשְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ

אֲדוֹן צְבָאוֹת בְּרוֹב פְּלָאוֹת חִבֵּר כָּל אָהֳלוֹ בִּנְתִיבוֹת לֵב לִבְלֵב הַצּוּר תָּמִים פָּעֳלוֹ

וְתוֹדָה וְלָעוֹלָה וְלַמִּנְחָה וְלַחַטָּאת וְלָאָשָׁם וְלַשְּׁלָמִים וְלַמִּלוּאִים כָּל קָרְבָּנֶךָ זְכוֹר נִלְאָה אֲשֶׁר נָשְׂאָה וְהָשִׁיבָה לְאַדְמָתֶךָ סֶלָה אֲהַלְלֶךָּ בְּאַשְׁרֵי יוֹשְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ

Practical Belzer advice

Call me a panderer, but it seems like some of the best conversations here happen when they concern Belz, and that topic has also been discussed here at great length - why Belz makes for such fascinating discussion. I was actually gonna give this post some other title, especially since of you may deem the advice that the Belzer Rov, Reb Yisocher Dov, zt"l, gave a little too practical, especially since it seems to be not in accordance with Shulchan Aruch, shall we say? Two things here can be questioned by any mesivta kid here in any one of Monsey's fine institutions: 1) why he told him to daven late if he could daven early; is davening with the Rebbe שלא בזמן better than davening with an עולם of regular chassidim בזמן? It's not like he was gonna in the Lakewood or Mirrer Minyan in the shtetelle Belz... Then, if that wasn't enough, he tells him to eat before davening! How much can one man take? Of what purpose is a davening that you daven on a full stomach after the prescribed time?! Do they even daven to the same G-d, these people? Chassidim were often accused of believing in their Rabbeyim, even if what they did was not necessarily LeKatchilah according to the letter of the law. Of course Lubavitch gets the brunt of those "complaints." Is it fair to try and divert some of that criticism? The redeeming advice here - for those who need it - is where he tells him - the שנה ראשונה yungerman - to quit complaining so much, which shows you how despite it all the tzaddikim were concerned for the well-being of Yidden, spiritually and physically, and that telling a yungerman to daven with his minyan even if it's late is just as "sound" advice as telling him to look after his health.

On that note; I heard from a Yid whose father was in Budapest in 5704 and went to daven by the Belzer Rov, who davened very late, they started Shacharis in the afternoon. (!) There were thousands of people there waiting to daven with the Rov, and they were hungry, so they were served potatoes before davening. We can sit here and argue the difference between coffee, (שהכל) potatoes (האדמה) and the Lubavitcher chocolate chip cookies, if you'd like. Anything to make you people happy.

הלכות ת"ת treat

I must tell you I'm quite shocked by some of the responses here with regards to the Tzaddik of B'Kerestur. I never realized how great the machloh is today - the lack of emunas tzaddikim. And we're not talking about today's gutte yidden either, we're talking about people who weren't born with a silver sppon in their mouths, but made a name for themselves the hard way, by helping others and saving lives. I'm stunned at how some of the same people who supposedly stand up for "real Torah values" can so nonchalantly make such disparaging remarks that even a goy in his time - as well as twenty years later - would not make! Now, I'm not gonna stand here and tell you to take a minyan and ask mechilleh at his resting place; I'll leave that for you and your collective conscience to bear. Somehow we decided that greatness in Torah should be the only measuring stick to see whether or not there is tzidkus as well. I can bring you this: most of you - even the skeptics would agree about his d'veykus to the Eybershter, besides for that fool who compared to the TA"Y Rebbe. Interestingly enough, the Alter Rebbe, Rav Schneur Zalman of Liadi, author of the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, says otherwise. In his opus primum, which was warmly approbated by the greats of his day, the Alter Rebbe brings proof from the Chassidim HoRishonim, who would spend some 9 hours a day thinking about G-d, and connecting to him ביראה ואהבה עזה ודביקות אמיתית, proving to us that not only was this not bittul torah, but this service of Hashem was greater than the study of Torah! Is that good enough for you all?!

Start from Halochoh Hey and on.

.....גוטע פריינט מיט'ן אייבערשטען

From the Marmuresh/Carpathen Yizkor Book (1968)

Free Translation:

We know that Reb Mordchelle from Nadvorneh would daven very late every day. Before beginning to daven he would say with a nigun, full of devotion, that would arouse the hearts of those present - I imagine he davened with a minyan, even that late -

"Ribbono Shel Olam, leybediger (how do you translate "Leybedig?") king and Creator. I've tardied, but you know that I wasn't playing cards, nor was I at the theater, and that I only served you."

They say in the name of the last Brisker Rov that he was "unimpressed" with those who are in the realm of Tzaddik Goyzer veHKB"H Mekayem. HKB"H Goyzer VeHatzaddik Mekayem was more to his liking - he liked those Tzaddikim who did what the A-mighty asked of all Jews. If I may say so - this is one of those fundamental differences we see between the disciples of the Besh"t and those that did not take on his ways. Reb Mordchelle Nadvorner was one of the Rebbes of Reb Shayelle Kerstierer and one of those who pushed him to be a Rebbe and "helf Yidden" like he did. Reb Mordchelle may not have done Chesed on the "farnem" that Reb Shayelle did, which was stand on his feet and cook and prepare and serve food and drink to poor and tired Yidden, but in his hoyf a Jew was helped, and that may have been the number one activity there too. His travels all over Rumania, Hungary and Galicia were for that puropse too, to help Yidden. And it was from him that Reb Shayelle learned how to do what he did for 50 years. Reb Mordchelle also invited him to come to B'Kerestur after the heirs of Reb Hershelle Lisker weren't happy that he was praving Rabbisteve in their town and made it known so. Imagine that happening: A Rebbe inviting another Rebbe to a small town to set up shop there... That's what many of you don't like about Chassidim in general. They think that have some direct line to G-d and don't need to "wait on line" like everybody else. Why did Reb Mordchelle think that G-d would forgive him, just because he said that cute line every day, that he wasn't playing cards or going to the theater? Couldn't he do what he was doing later in the day, just like the Brisker Rov did?! And the Chazon Ish?! And the Chofetz Chaim?!