Kotzk blog

Over the years I have read/heard things about Kotzk and the Kotzker Rebbe. Some of them have actually appealed to and resonated with me significantly.

After all, the main thrust of Kotzk is said to be Emes, truth, and that is not a Chasidic thing, it is a general value (or should I say general Jewish value?), that appeals to Litvaks as well. Especially perhaps to those into mussar.

Anyway, the other day I was surfing around and came across a Kotzk blog! I sampled it some and found some good stuff there! So you might enjoy it as well.

It is from South Africa, yes, that country that gave the world The Shabbos Project.

Anyway, in case it interests you, you might want to check it out.

Enjoy!

Yehuda Green's new song Rebbe, Rebbe - a Chasidic song, not for Litvaks

Yehuda Green, chazan at the Carlebach Shul in New York, and a talented singer, has recently released a song with the title Rebbe, Rebbe.

The lyrics seem to be more or less as follows

רבי, רבי, רבי, מיר ווילען זיך מקשר זיין צו דיר

הנני מקשר נפשי, רוחי, ונשמתי, לנשמת אדוני מורי ורבי

עם שאר הצדיקים והאבות הקדושים ועם שאר הצדקניות והאהמהות הקדושות

In the parshas Vayigash issue of the Yated Neeman newspaper published in the USA, there was a feature on Reb Green recently (p.64-5). In it, this new song was mentioned and it was claimed that it carries a special message for anyone who has a Rav or a Rebbe, and is very meaningful, not only to Chasidim, but to anyone with a spiritual leader who guides them.

However, the language, and the idea of hiskashrus used, is from the Chasidic world. The composer, R. Pinchas Pomp, is a Chasid, and Yehuda Green himself, according to the Yated feature on him, is from a large Chasidic family in the Beis Yisroel neighborhood of Yerushalayim.

According to Wikipedia's entry on Yehuda Green, Green is from a Breslov family, and went to a Lubavitcher Yeshiva.

It seems to be coming from a Breslov milieu. Here one can see a video in which it is sung at a Breslov gathering (at 3:10). If you examine the lyrics, and are familiar with Breslov teachings, you can recognize a strong Breslov influence.

So I don't buy that it is a universal song, for anyone with a Rebbe. The song is a Chasidic song, about a Chasidishe Rebbe, not a Rebbe in general, of the types non Chasidim can also have. While non Chasidim also have connection to their Rabbonim and Rabbeim, their conception and practice of hiskashrus, if you want to call it that, is different than that of Chasidim.

Litvaks please be aware of this.

See also this writeup about it at a Habad website, along with some interesting comments by Lubavitchers.

Additional information update - additional information, supporting the above, has come to light. See this later post which shows that the song was specifically made for hisorerus for people going to Uman!

See also this related post at the Toras Aba website.