It's Here.

And for you MO'ers: a special bonus, the approbations of both YU and Stern College! Rabbi Lamm aaand Karen Bacon!!!!

Ed Bradley's Finest Hour

For whom the Kremenchuger Rabbinate?

(Reb Avrohom Sternhartz)

A Yid said...

Reb Avrohom Shternhartz ztz"l was a goen in nigle (he was the rov of Krementchug) and nistar, having an astonishing knowledge of Kabolo and Chasidus. He knew many Sifrey Chasidus beal pe (not only Breslov), and Breslover sforim he knew so well and lived them, that he was called a living "Likutey Moharan". In Krementchug there was a big Lubavitcher kehilo, together with the Breslover one. Since Reb Avrohom was the rov of the town, he was used to give a shiur in a big shul (shiur in Chasidus). A lot of Lubavitchers used to come to his shiur, (Breslovers of course were there). Being so, Reb Avrohom was bringing a lot from maymorim of the Baal haTania, together with Breslover maymorim from Likutey Halochoys during his shiur. Lubavitcher chasidim of Krementchug liked his shiurim a lot because they were very inspiring.

Once an older chabadnik visited Krementchug, who wasn't used at all to such hanhogo of the rov. He considered it bizarre, that non-Lubavitcher would give a shiur in Chasidus to such a big crowd of chabadnikes! He spoke very sharply against it, not realizing probably, that he was really speaking derogatory against the rov of the town, who by the way a tzadik in his own right. Leaving the building that chabadnik tripped on the steps, and hurt himself very seriously. Realizing that this was the result of his derogatory speech, he asked to bring him to Reb Avrohom to ask for a mechilo, which Reb Avrohom gave to him. Afterwards he got better and never spoke derogatory about the shiur any more.

A Yid said...

Hirshel Tzig: Reb Avrohom Shrernhartz ztz"l was the Rov of Krementcgug until 1936, when he was able to leave to Eretz Yisroel from the communists' regime. He was a talmid of Reb Nachman miTcherin ztz"l (in Halocho and in Chasidus). You can find some information about his biography HERE.
His more complete biography was never published. Now Reb Avrohom Shimon Burshteyn from Yerusholaim is working on a seyfer on Reb Avrohom Shternhartz's biography and collection of mesoyroys from him. He told over that last story about shiur Chasidus in Krementchug.


(a Ksav Yad of Reb Yosef Tumarkin)

According to these Breslover reports RAS became Rov in 1881 and was there till 1936. In Chabad history we read about Reb Yosef Tumarkin (no, Yigal is no relation, that's not his real name) in the times of the Tzemach Tzedek, (at least 1866) and Reb Yitzchok Yoel Rafolewich in the times of the Rebbe Rashab. This needs to be settled once and for all.

Shluchim Running Marathons: Am I out of touch?

I've had this thread saved for a while now, not knowing whether or not to post it, but I've decided to throw it out there to see where I stand.



I imagine that young Shliach (at Brandeis University) Peretz Chein means well, and there's nothing per se' that's really so terrible, but can you imagine Reb Moshe Feller of Minnesota, a Shliach for well over 45 years, running the marathon 40 years ago looking like a spaceman? I understand that Peretz Chein works with lots of young people, and that he feels the need to connect to them so as to bring them closer to Yiddishkeit, but is this going too far? I also know that I've never done anything in my life to be MeKarev Yidden, so I shouldn't be criticizing others.


(what was he thinking?)

Here's how it came about: (From Crownheights.info)

"At Chabad's Shabbat dinner one week after his trip to New York in 2005, Chein spoke to Brandeis students about the importance of doing things in life that are so beyond them that they never even considered trying, with the goal of inspiring students to do good deeds in Judaism they never thought were possible. Teaching by example, Chein promised the crowd that he would run the full 26.2 miles of a marathon within the next year." He also called the idea of running the marathon a "moment of inspiration", he was inspired while seeing the runners of the NYC Marathon run in NY last year. Why that would inspire a skinny young guy like himself is beyond me.



If Chabad was really run like it should this young man would get a telephone call from New York that day and would be admonished for his silliness. If the main office won't do it then at least his superior in Massachussets should. As would every other Shliach who oversteps his boundaries. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened yet, and probably never will. What's more disheartening is the comments in places like CrownHeights.info where people have totally lost it. They think this is a good thing, like you and me going to the gym to ride the stationary bike.

Photos courtesy of COL, Shturem and Crownheights.info.

"Clandestine Charedim"

The Kvetcher: Big Aish - Passaic "About Who We Aren't"

"Big Aish does everything it can to hide its Charedism ......

After bragging about the celebrities who “endorse” Aish (Big Aish is notorious in their celebrity a**-kissing, and could give Scientology and The Kabbalah Centre a run for their money) Aish blatantly lies about what it is Aish seeks to accomplish, claiming, “Aish's vast network of programs is the vision of American-born Rabbi Noach Weinberg, who founded Aish in 1974 to combat alarming assimilation rates.”......

Big Aish is lying, misleading, and concealing. For a change."

Big Aish. Has a nice ring to it, like Big Tobacco and Big Oil. Evil comes to mind.

Not that I see a problem with their apporoach, and the Kvetcher IS a cross between a Snag and Reform, but it's nice to see the spotlight elsewhere.

I guess for the complainers like Harry M. although "Chabad destroys Communities", It's OK if Aish reaps years of Chabad toil by moving in to well-established cities and Universities, setting up centers, and informing one and all to come see "real Judaism".

This is the world we live in today.

בית ישרא-ל - וויזשניצער רבי'ס הויף און דאס לעבן אין מאראמורעש

The Yiddish writer Hertzl Apshan writes about his native Vizhnitz and Marmures in general. Reading it is like your back in the dustroads of Marmures with the אמאליגע אידן , living their lives and eating their cornbread. The Yiddish is written as it sounds, if you'd know the sounds you'd know what I mean, but no attention is paid to the consistency of the writing, you can write the same word differently in the same line. I'd like to share some of it with you, in the original Yiddish, and have a discussion follow. I also would like some help with some of these "Yiddish" words, because some of them are really tough to get.

מארמורעש איז געווען דער גרעסטער יידישער צענטער אין אלטען אונגערן ביי דער גרויסער מאנארכיע, און איז אויך היינט (1939) דער גרעסטער און פרומסטער יידישער צענטער אין טראנסילוואניע. א סביבה פון יידישע האראפאשניקעס מיט בעל עגלות און סוחרים מיט מוכרים פון יעדן פאר. מ'קען און מ'פארשטייט סוחריש און פאכמעניש צו יעדען מסחר אויף דער וועלט.- .און אלעס פון דער "ישיבה" און פונים "חדר" אויס


יידן זיינען מעקלערס מיט טרייבערס און טרעגערס, יידן זיינען שמידן, דראטערס מיט
גלעזערס, קאלעכברענערס, בערשטלבינדערס, א חוץ ווערצהייזער מיט געוועלבער'ס און טראפיקאנטען אנא שיעור. אלעס תלמידי חכמים יודעים את התורה, וואוינען צוזייעט און צושפרייט אין קליינע האלצערנע שטיבלעך, צווישן די קארפאטען און אויף לאזעס אין די בערג. איינס פון נאקעטע העלצער אליין , איינס האט א הויכען דאך מיט קליינע פענסטערלעך און איינס אקאראט פארקערט. א קיבוץ פון איבער מאה אלפים יידישע נפשות. --- איידער מ'האט עס איבערגעטיילט האלב פאר די טשכאסלאוואקיי און העלפט פאר רומעניען ---- אלעס איז ביי די ברעגעס פון דער "טייס" א סביבה וואו מ'רעדט יידיש און מ'שלינגט יעדעס ווארט אויף יידיש. מ'בענטשט אויף יידיש און מ'שעלט יידיש , מ'האנדלט און וואנדלט און מ'לעבט אפ אלע יארן אויף יידיש



ס'האט זיך קיינער נישט אסימילירט און מ'האט זיך קיינער מאדיאראזירט, מאנסבילן האבען נישט געהייסען "הערען" און ווייבער זענען נישט געווען "פרויען" , א קוטשער האט נישט געהייסען "שאפער" א מלמד האט נישט געהייסען באלד "פראפעסאר" , א בעל תפלה האט נישט געהייסען "קאנטאר" און א רב האט מען נישט גערופען "דאקטאר". מ'האט זיך נישט געענדערט דעם נאמען מיט די מלבושים און ס'האט קיינער זיך נישט געשעמט מיט די בגדים און מיט'ן יידישקייט. מ'האט נישט געוווסט פון די סך-ערליי מאכלים, מ'האט נישט געדארפט אזויפיל קעכינס מיט משרתים און באדינטע, מ'איז אלעס געווען אליין

א ייד האט געוווינט אין איין שטיבל און געהאט איין גערטל מיט איין קו און איין ערליי איבערטועכץ אלע זיינע יארן, מ'האט נישט געוווסט פאר אזוי פיל צייטן פון עסן: א פרישטיק, א מיטאג און א נאכטמאל און אלעמאל אנדערע מאכלים מיט אנדערע עס-צייגן. מ'האט געוווסט אין יעדער הויז סתם, זומער קאכט מען אפ טאפ בארשט מיט ריבלעך און ווינטער קרויט מיט באנדלעך, דאס איז געוועזן פאר א גאנצן טאג. א גאנצען וואך האט מען געגעסן מאליי-ברויט און שבת קוילעטש פון חלה מעל און מ'האט קיינמאל נישט קיין פארדארבענעם מאגן



מ'האט נישט געוווסט פון דאקטוירים און מעדיצינען, פון בעדער מיט לופט פארענדערונג. מ'האט געהאט פאר אלעם היימישע רפואות מיט סגולות און מ'איז געווען שטארק און געזינד, קיינער האט נישט געוווסט אז ס'איז פארהאנין צוקער-מאגען און נירן קראנקהייטן. מ'איז אלט געווען 120 יאר און פון קאפ-שמערצן און ציינווייטאג האט זיך קיין איד נישט געוווסט צו באקלאגן, מ'איז געשטארבען מיט אלע ציין אין מויל

How Geshmak to read!


Words I could use help with include:
האראפאשניקעס, לאזעס, רוסנאקען, ציפסערן, זשירירט, דראניצעס
More to come IY"H.

As far as translating all this: I don't think so. It's just not "doable."

Photos by Roman Vishniac

"Lubavitcher" Chumoshim

Seeing that the Kol Menachem Gutnick Edition Chumash is now advertising their new "Shul edition" brought to mind a question: Is there a need for this at all?

There's a letter from the Rebbe in the '60's - IIRC to Shazar - where he addresses the then newly printed "Keter Aram Tzova" Chumash that was going to revolutionize the Chumash as we knew it, putting forth a new, "correct" version. The Rebbe opined then that things like this build greater divides between Yidden, whereas until now all Frum Yidden used one Chumash you'll now have the the Religious Zionists using a newer, better version, while the old timers will keep their old version. "All this for what?" was the Rebbe's cry, why divide Yidden even further.

This may sound like I'm not a team player, but this seems like a personal, albeit justified, fight with Artscroll for not including Lubavitch and the Rebbe in their Chumashim. That has since changed somewhat since the A/S Shul Chumash does bring the Rambam's opinion on the Meneyreh, the Lucheys on the book cover are square, and they bring the Chabad Minhog of Hafteyreh where it differs from the Ashkenazi Minhog. But why is there a need for a different Chumash at all? If you need a Peyrush on the Chumash take out the seyfer and learn it. That's the way we did it in the old days anyway, and we actually listened to the Leynen!.

Heichel Menachem in Yerushalayim just began to print a Bi'ur of the Rebbe on Chumash, Lefi Seder HaParshiyes. It looks like nice work, although most of these abridged versions do the Rebbe's Teyreh no justice. They fail to show the learner how this Bi'ur was reached and how this Vort came to be. It makes it look like the Teyreh Kval. There too the Chumash was omitted. Do you hear me Meir Gutnick?

Post Election Blues

Years ago an election defeat like Republicans suffered last night would've knocked me out for a couple of days. I'm a sore loser by nature. This time I see and realize that there's no point in mourning what the new leadership will do based on the predictions of pundits alone. So I'll wait it out and hope for the best. It's just a shame that good guys like Rick Santorum couldn't hold on. At least Joe did.

Five years without the Rosh Yeshivah

Hear him speak in 5750 at Binyanei HaUmah

The Levoyoh

קטעים "נבחרים" מהמשא של מרן הגרא"מ שך שליט"א
בכנס בארצי של "תודעה", בנייני האומה, ירושלים
אור ליום ב' כ"ז אדר א' תשנ"ב

תראה, תמצאו כמה, איזה, איזה חידוש, איזה מה שרעדו מזה - המלה חב"ד. מזכירים מלה תורה?! חב"ד מזכירים מלה תורה?! אני עוד לא שמעתי שלובביץ' יאמרו מלה תורה. שילמדו תורה.

התוועדות! אתם יודעים? אתם יודעים מה זו התוועדות? אני לא יודע מה זה התוועדות. אתה יודע בעברית איך אפשר לתרגם מה זו התוועדות.

עם-הארצים! כופרים בעיקר! כופרים בעיקר הם! אצל אף אחד מהם אין את המלה תורה. לא מזכירים משניות. שמעתם שייצאו פעם בקריאה ללמוד כל יום משניות? מזכירים מלה ממשניות? לא מזכירים מלה לא ממשניות, לא שום דבר לא! לא משניות, לא גמרא, לא חומש, רק - המעשה הוא העיקר! אנחנו יודעים שתורה זה העיקר! תורה... אני הייתי... אני...

Don't they have any respect for the man? Should they embarrass a 94-year old man as to let him speak under such circumstances? And they think that this opinion should be followed and publicized? May G-d have mercy.

Welcome to "BaDaTZistan"

(Is this Gaza?)



(No!, it's !ככר השבת)

G-d help us this Friday at the demonstrations.......

- Photos by HydePark -

COL Malachovka Cemetery Project

(Reb Mordche Dubin)

ר' מרדכי דובין נעצר ע"י הרוסים בעת פלישתם ללטביה בשנת ת"ש. הוא נשלח לגלות לעיר קויבשב היום סמרה.

בשנת תש"ה בערך, הוא שוחרר ועבר לעיר מוסקבה. בשנת תש"ח הוא נעצר שוב ונשלח לעיר טולה. מכיון שלא רצה להכניס לפיו אוכל לא כשר, הכניסו אותו השלטונות לבית חולים לחולי נפשהוא סבל שם סבל רב, עד שנפטר בשנת תשי"ז.

רופאה יהודיה שעבדה באותו בית חולים הודיעה לקהילה היהודית של טולה על יהודי חשוב שנפטר בבית החולים. ואנשי הקהילה טיפלו בהבאתו לקבורה בבית העלמין של טולה ר' געצ'ע ממוסקבה היה שולח אברכים ממוסקבה שיטפלו בקברו.
עד שבשנת תשמ"ו, יש אומרים שזה היה עפ"י הוראתו של הרבי, העבירו את גופו לבית העלמין במלחובקה.

What's interesting is that till recently popular opinion was that RMD died in a Gulag during WW2. Here it was confirmed that he was alive until 1957!


(Reb Getche)

איי, וועסטו פרעגן what's with the Russian wording on the Matzeyves? I can imagine that by law, or thereabout, it was required, although by Reb Mordche Dubin they avoided it. Maybe it was for those who don't read Hebrew, that they too should understand.

See COL for more pics

Sanz Vs. Sadiger II

(Reb Yisroel of Husyatin zt"l)

You may have read about it, heard about it from the older generation, or from some young shnook like myself who thought he just discovered America, but there are some points and observations you may have missed. I'm speaking of a Machkleyke that polarized and divided frum Chassidic Jews for years. The Sanzer Rov, the Divrei Chaim zt"l, decided that all Ruzhiner Rabbeyim and Chassidim of all the sons of the Heilige Ruzhiner were Apikorsim, and what ensued was the biggest split among Frum Jews that we had seen for centuries. The fact that the SR was the Rebbe of many, many Rebbes and Rabbonim didn’t help the Ruzhiner very much either.

The book that discusses this decades-long scuffle in simple (yet somewhat old-fashioned) Yiddish language is "דער סאנזער צדיק" by Yehoshua Rocker, later reprinted by the widow of Reb Boruch Halberstam of Tschechoyv in New York in 1959. It seems to a novice like myself that the author was somewhat influenced by Haskoloh, but he writes for the most part with great respect for the Tzadikim involved. He looks at every story objectively and comes to a decision based on what makes sense.

Reading the book made me think that I was reading about a very short while ago, say 16-17 years ago in a little town in Israel called Bnei Beraq. There you had a group of people who saw themselves as the proprietors of Torah, or the guardians thereof, - Today's Sanzer Chassidim if you will - and they could not sit by and watch how a group of Chassidim did "their own thing." So they set out to totally destroy them both physically and spiritually, and to alienate them by saying that they're no better than other groups who left Judaism. They are to be tormented, as are their children, their Shechitah and wine is no good, and we are to completely disconnect from them.



Back in the SR’s days as long as it was the Heilige Ruzhiner himself who conducted himself this way they could only stand by and watch, but with his children? No siree. Rumors were spread about what they do, what their wives do and how they dress and act, and about their lack of Torah study. That they don't learn Torah, that their wives ride horses, and that they dress like Goyim, which was comparable to Shmad in those days. Nobody bothered to check the facts, as is normally the case when it comes to scuffles between 2 groups, they didn't have to, after all: wasn't their Tzaddik the "Godol haDor"? didn't so-and-so say that he's the greatest Tzaddik to walk the earth since (fill in the blank). Don't they deserve to be excommunicated after what they do? Why anybody would believe charges like these is also a bit of a scratcher, after all wouldn't you trust the children of the Heilige Ruzhiner that he behaves in accordance with basic tenents of Judaism?

There was the time after the passing of the HR that the Sanzer Rov went to visit his oldest son Reb Mordche Feivish of Husyatin, father of the late Husyatiner Rebbe of Tel Aviv. The Rebbe was supposedly disrespectful toward him, didn't offer him a seat, and basically ignored him. They say that's what made the whole thing burst into flames. It was after that visit that the Divrei Chaim z"l went home and wrote the first of those letters condemning the Ruzhiner Kinder.



And then there was the story with one of the Ruzhiner’s sons, Reb Dov of Lyevoh, who supposedly left Judaism and his Chassidim for a short while, cavorted with Maskilim and Galochim in Tchernovitz for 8 weeks and was going to convert completely! Only after massive family pressure from his wife, a Tchernobler daughter, and brothers did he return. The Chassidim, instead of condemning this act, all said that it was העכערע ענינים, and that he did nothing wrong. So, if one brother is a "heretic", and the Chassidim are as well, then his brothers the Rabbeyim must be too!!!! What a novel idea.

I’ve been told that Machleykes amongst Tzaddikim is a personal matter, and that the Tzaddik is doing it to be ממתיק דינים from the other Tzaddik. I can understand that when one argues on the derech of a certain Tzaddik, but this seems a bit much even when following that logic. Then again my Breslover friends will tell me otherwise and point to the Redifeys they had to endure for centuries!

Am I the only one that sees similarities here?

( I ask Mechilah LeMafreah from the Kedoshei Eretz that are in the Eylem HoEmes if I was Ch"V Pey'gey'ah in their Koveyd)

Blogger Trouble

This is beginning to become a real pain. Blogger has been down all day, as well as alot the past week. Posts get lost as well as comments, and it chases away readers. All this just as this place was beginning to "hop".

Maybe I Am Chopped Liver

THE WICKED SON
Anti-Semitism, Self-Hatred, and the Jews.
By David Mamet.

189 pp. Nextbook/Schocken. $19.95.

(Credit: Reader (and commenter) "Tzibaleh")

Why an MO shul (president) makes a Kiddush

(YI of Boca Raton)

Seen in this week's "Jewish Press": (page 43)

"The whole country is invited to a Grand Kiddush this Shabbos, Parshas Lech Lecha, Nov. 4th, 2006 to celebrate the St. Louis Cardinals World Series Win!!!

Kiddush will follow the Hashkomoh minyan (davening 7:30am) at the
Young Israel of Boca Raton, Florida (7200 Palmeto Circle north)

We would like to thank the cities of San Diego, New York and
Detroit for making this event possible.

Yakov (Jason) Lyons, President"

I guess only the ones that are Makpid on Z'man Tefilloh and daven B'Hashkomoh merit to partake in the Kiddush....

The Shul's website

To My Litvishe Brothers: Join me!

Listen folks, you're not the ones that I need to "fight". You never were. We are two groups cut from the same cloth that took a slightly different approach to Torah life; otherwise we're all the same. It's the Modern-Orthodox, those blaspheming "rationalists" who never met a heretic they didn't like, they're the true targets and they need to be stopped.

As a young man in Yeshivishe camps I would the hear the Rosh Yeshiva there (who shall remain nameless) sit at the weekly Melave Malke and berate the Modern Orthodox as the "bridge to reform" and "ערגער ווי די רעפארמער" and I would wonder: "Why's he saying that? Just because they don't wear black hats?"

But what I've seen lately is that most of the hate towards anything traditional and Torah-based, and especially towards Lubavitch and the Rebbe, comes from them (in a cordial manner of course) and it's more self-righteous than the biggest "Snag".
The MO pushes for Torah Umadah, an outdated idea that has been a total failure in the US and abroad for one simple reason: It wasn't meant for this time! So, all the Harry Maryleses of the world, stop beating the drum of Reb SR Hirsch - he's not your guide, he'd be a regular black-hatter today!

At least the Snag can point to some kind of accomplishment, that he's raised a generation of Torah and Yiddishkeit, but what can the MO point to? Gay clubs at YU? The Rabbinate at Solomon Shechter? Slifkin fans? Yuk. Those bashes and swipes at the Agudah I took were silly and foolish, I realize that now. We need to let bygones be bygones and work together to build a strong, Torah-educated generation, otherwise we'll look like Harry Maryles... old, bitter guys who moan about the old days at Skokie Yeshivah.

Do we have a deal? Oh, and please don't hold my Hungarian heritage against me.

An interview with Prof. Herman Branover

Neo-Tzig: I believe this article can be especially helpful to you.

The Rebbe is the only one who makes the unequivocal statement that the many assertions in the Tanach regarding the structure of the world have to be taken literally. If the Torah says that the Earth is standing still and the sun is going around it, then it is true, even though any first grader in any school will tell you the opposite. The Rebbe is stressing the point that maybe 100 years ago, in the time of classical science, there were questions, but now, in the era of modern science, Einstein, Niels Bohr, Heisenberg, things have changed completely. This is turn Is an additional proof that we are in Moshiach's era, because even the world, the material world, is ready for Moshiach. Even something which is derived from the material world, which is science, cold and detached science, is also converging back to Torah. The exact opposite of what used to be 100 years ago.

One of the exams is the structure of the world. In 1973-74 when I had just come out of Russia, Dr. Tzvi Feier, who used to be the secretary of the Organization of American Orthodox Jewish Scientists, a physicist himself, was the publisher of their magazine, Intercom. He wrote a letter to the Rebbe, asking many questions with respect to the reconciliation of Torah and Science. He got a very detailed answer, and two or three days later the Rebbe wrote him another additional letter. Tzvi was very pleased, and he gave me the Rebbe's answers to read. He asked the Rebbe for permission to publish this in Intercom, which the Rebbe gave. Tzvi published it. The entire paragraph, that there was no scientific problem with the earth standing still, was not in the printed version. I called him up and asked him. He told me he was very uncomfortable including it. He said, "I think I did a good service to the Rebbe not to publish it." I said, "Tzvi, you shouldn't have done that. The Rebbe gave you permission to publish it. The Rebbe put it in the letter for the purpose that everyone should read it!" "Yes, but you know, that would cause all kinds of unpleasant comments, and I appreciate the Rebbe too much to involve him in this." "Don't you think the Rebbe knows better? How do you dare to interfere?"

We made some seminars in Crown Heights for people whose education was in physics. Some of them could learn [Torah, including chasidus] well also. Each session was a few hours. We were digging and digging, and we couldn't find where is the real proof. At Yechidus I told the Rebbe we had difficulties. He said, "You are going too far and too deep. It is on the surface. Look on the surface of Einstein's Theory of Relativity." Still we couldn't understand. A few days later we found in Barnes and Noble's bookstore, a book first published in 1926 by one of Einstein's closest disciples, Hans Reichenbach. This was the English translation. The title was "The Philosophy of Time and Space." He analyzes there, on a very popular level, the whole question, and shows that the heliocentric and geocentric hypotheses are equally acceptable, and that as long as Einstein's theory is accepted, science will never be able to decide between them. If both versions are acceptable, and Chumash, Gemorah, and Rambam choose one of them, why jump to the other?

Let me explain a little more. According to Einstein's theory, there is no absolute space and no absolute movement. All science can do is establish the relative velocity between two bodies. It can never say which one is moving and which one is standing still. It can never say which is on the center and which is on the periphery. That is not in the details. That is the basic concept on which the Torah is built. When we made ourselves crazy analyzing equations and more equations, it didn't help, because we went too deep. The whole discussion of evolution, Darwin, the Rebbe shows the weakness of extrapolation, that it is not really science, just speculation which can produce any results one wants.

(from an interview with Chaim Dalfin in "Encounters with the Rebbe", posted on 613.ORG)

Yohrtzeit

The Tchebiner Rov zt"l. Passed away on 10 Cheshvon 5726.

The Tziyun, with his SIL Reb Boruch Shimon next to him
(for some reason the Matzeivoh makes no mention of his Yichus, maybe it was ע"פ צוואתו)

I've heard it said that the Rebbe once said that he'd like to go to Eretz Yisroel for one reason besides the inherent reasons: to see the Tchebiner Rov!

Even the Steipler for some reason had great respect for this Chasidishe גאון, and would write to him with titles such as "רבינו".

Chaim G. on Ahavas Yisroel

(Illustration by Reb Dovid Sears ZGZ)


Ahavas Yisroel is ahava directed towards a Yisroel. Generic ahava includes feelings of affection, tenderness, patience, gratitude, esteem, trust, unconsciousness or marginalization of the love-objects faults and errors and, most of all, a desire to give to the love-object. When these feelings are directed towards a Yid, and in particular towards the Yiddishkeit/getlikhkeit of that yid that’s my definition of ahavas yisroel.

Now the chicken/ egg causality relationship between loving and giving is subtle and tricky. They are basically a cheerful cycle. But Rav Dessler z”l established that, in fact, we love those whom we give, not the other way around. As ahavas yisroel is a mitzvah, like any other mitzvah it takes a willful exercise of bechira and continued effort to fulfill and shtaig in. Also, as with other mitzvahs, certain people, based on how hard they work at it, their shorshei haNeshoma and T’chunos HaNefesh, have an easier time with it than do others. It IS hard, and as our continued golus testifies, perhaps harder than any other mitzvah, but it is not impossible. ain HKB”H buh B’Trunia im breyosov.

I’m hardly exemplary in this department so it’s not my place to write a primer. But I have an insight that might be helpful. The velt says that “familiarity breeds contempt”. Ever see the moshol in Gulliver’s Travels when the tiny Gulliver lands on a gigantic beauty’s face and sees the repulsive equivalent of a greasy, toxic lunar landscape? Sometimes we are too close to our brethrens pesho'im for ahava to be mechaseh. Many of us, especially Klei Kodesh, have no human relationships at all with nochrim. I don’t have a good eitzha but, paradoxically, our insular self-imposed ghettos that have kept so much goyishkeit out have also (owing to our lack of real interaction with those truly different, hateful towards and contemptible by, us) created an ambiance where we focus and harp on each others faults and the minutiae that divides us rather than on the Torah and laiv echod that unites us.

I have a Yeshivish friend who once interviewed for a high-school Rebbee’s job at an MO Yeshiva. After a good model lesson and towards the end of a long interview the Menahel asked him “So tell me. What are your feelings about Yom Ha'atzmaut?” he responded “Main tayara Menahel, based on our exchanges so far we are more or less in agreement on how to be mechanench the kids here the other 364 days of the year. Are you going to tell me we can’t work together because we disagree about how to handle ONE day?” Needless to say he did not get the job. But I think that this ma’aseh brings the phenomenon that I’ve been describing into sharp relief. I f we have any hopes ever being more than feuding Sunnis and Shi’ites absent the rifles and cut-throat proclivities, if we ever hope to get beyond the “Judaism-reduced-to-color-war” matzav that we find ourselves in we should give more davka to those yidden most different than us, and seeing the much that unites us instead of the klainikeitin that divide us, close ranks. This is what the Holocaust survivors had the good sense and survival instincts to do in the T’kufa immediately following the war.

Pic of the day

From Drudgereport