Note the size (and type) of the shtreimels in this Purim video from Williamsburg Brooklyn in 5731/1971 (h/t), as opposed to in this Purim one forty years later. Extra credit for noticing other changes in the scenes.
Hopefully the growth was not just external.
A gutten chodesh Adar.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Thursday, February 23, 2017
When A Chasidic Tale Clashes With Halacha - A Recent Account From Neo-Chasidism
About three years ago, at a Shabbos in Manhattan, a visiting Rabbi related an old Chasidic tale that left students in an uproar. It was Shabbos of parshas Mishpatim of 5774, and the location was Yeshiva University.
The visiting Rabbi told of a family who had two sons that were circumcised and died afterward due to it (perhaps due to what we call today hemophilia). In such a case, Jewish practice dictates that future sons are not circumcised, due to pikuach nefesh (the imperative to save and preserve life), as it assumed that they are also in mortal danger from a bris. However, in this case, in the Chasidic tale, a Chasidic Rebbe, Reb Pinchas of Koritz, visiting the area, noticed the young uncircumcised male child and asked about him. He was told that the child's brothers had died due to milah, so he was not circumcised, as above. Whereupon he said that the child would be alright, and that he himself would perform the bris milah on him the next day. So people got together the next day, and a bris milah was done. However, after the milah, the child was bleeding, and it could not be stopped, and it appeared that he would die like his brothers had before him. There was panic and despair in the air. Reb Pinchas walked outside where he encountered the Rebbe Reb Zushe, who was told about the situation, and said don't worry, I'll take care of it. He then went inside and said that everyone should sit down and eat, and things will be okay. During the meal, things came under control with the child's situation. Later on Reb Pinchas asked him how he knew that would solve the problem. He responded that it says in the pasuk (in Mishpatim, this week's portion) ויחזו את האלקים ויאכלו וישתו - when middas hadin, signified by the shem Elokim, is seen, one should eat and drink, show friendship to one another, and so on, and things will be okay.
The tale left some talmidim of the yeshiva very upset, as it appears to endorse going against halacha, and they protested to hanhalah about it.
Who was the visiting Rabbi at YU who told over the tale? It was Rabbi Moshe Weinberger, the then new mashpia of Yeshiva University, and rabbi of Congregation Aish Kodesh in NY, someone who has been written about here previously, due to other problematic statements and teachings of his.
One of the hanhalah members of YU commented that it is a Hasidic tale, and there is a saying of Chasidim themselves that 'anyone who believes all Chasidic stories is a fool...'.
(heard from reliable, well connected Yeshiva Rav Yitzchak Elchanan sources)
Chasidic stories have a goal of promoting Chasidus and Chasidic leaders.
If eating and drinking is a way to solve all dangers to life, why wasn't/isn't it done it done to save other people as well?
Anyway, it is hard to understand such things.
For non-Chasidim, we don't have such problems. We know that we are supposed to follow halachah, and that is it.
Good Shabbos and a gutten Chodesh.
The visiting Rabbi told of a family who had two sons that were circumcised and died afterward due to it (perhaps due to what we call today hemophilia). In such a case, Jewish practice dictates that future sons are not circumcised, due to pikuach nefesh (the imperative to save and preserve life), as it assumed that they are also in mortal danger from a bris. However, in this case, in the Chasidic tale, a Chasidic Rebbe, Reb Pinchas of Koritz, visiting the area, noticed the young uncircumcised male child and asked about him. He was told that the child's brothers had died due to milah, so he was not circumcised, as above. Whereupon he said that the child would be alright, and that he himself would perform the bris milah on him the next day. So people got together the next day, and a bris milah was done. However, after the milah, the child was bleeding, and it could not be stopped, and it appeared that he would die like his brothers had before him. There was panic and despair in the air. Reb Pinchas walked outside where he encountered the Rebbe Reb Zushe, who was told about the situation, and said don't worry, I'll take care of it. He then went inside and said that everyone should sit down and eat, and things will be okay. During the meal, things came under control with the child's situation. Later on Reb Pinchas asked him how he knew that would solve the problem. He responded that it says in the pasuk (in Mishpatim, this week's portion) ויחזו את האלקים ויאכלו וישתו - when middas hadin, signified by the shem Elokim, is seen, one should eat and drink, show friendship to one another, and so on, and things will be okay.
The tale left some talmidim of the yeshiva very upset, as it appears to endorse going against halacha, and they protested to hanhalah about it.
Who was the visiting Rabbi at YU who told over the tale? It was Rabbi Moshe Weinberger, the then new mashpia of Yeshiva University, and rabbi of Congregation Aish Kodesh in NY, someone who has been written about here previously, due to other problematic statements and teachings of his.
One of the hanhalah members of YU commented that it is a Hasidic tale, and there is a saying of Chasidim themselves that 'anyone who believes all Chasidic stories is a fool...'.
(heard from reliable, well connected Yeshiva Rav Yitzchak Elchanan sources)
Chasidic stories have a goal of promoting Chasidus and Chasidic leaders.
If eating and drinking is a way to solve all dangers to life, why wasn't/isn't it done it done to save other people as well?
Anyway, it is hard to understand such things.
For non-Chasidim, we don't have such problems. We know that we are supposed to follow halachah, and that is it.
Good Shabbos and a gutten Chodesh.
Monday, February 20, 2017
The Vital Legacy of Rav Moshe Shapiro z"l - Living Refutation of An Old Canard
Rav Moshe Shapiro was niftar recently in Eretz Yisroel. A gadol baTorah and gadol bemachshavah, with many talmidim. Numerous hespedim were held for him in various parts of the world at various points after the his passing.
One important aspect of his legacy that is worthy of note, is that he personally was a living refutation of an old canard. The disgraceful slander referred to here, which certain people and sects have been spreading for many years already, is that the Litvish type of Yiddishkeit and Torah is (ח"ו) superficial and external, and that for 'inner Torah', or פנימיות התורה, people need to look elsewhere, for example to a Hasidic sect. As if at מתן תורה the Litvishe only received a limited portion, just some lomdus perhaps, and not the full package of Torah. These propagandists were (and are) stereotyping the Litvish Torah world as a whole as being people concerned and involved with relative externalities, trivialities, superficial things, while claiming that members of their sect were/are connected to deeper, inner Torah, more 'spiritual', and so on.
Rav Moshe Shapiro z"l, a proud Litvak, and giant in מחשבה, was a living refutation of their disgraceful propaganda. His greatness in מחשבה attracted talmidim from a wide range of backgrounds, including Chasidim. It was so great that it could not be denied, even by members of sects who think that area belongs to them. Hopefully his talmidim will perpetuate this important legacy of his.
תנצב"ה
One important aspect of his legacy that is worthy of note, is that he personally was a living refutation of an old canard. The disgraceful slander referred to here, which certain people and sects have been spreading for many years already, is that the Litvish type of Yiddishkeit and Torah is (ח"ו) superficial and external, and that for 'inner Torah', or פנימיות התורה, people need to look elsewhere, for example to a Hasidic sect. As if at מתן תורה the Litvishe only received a limited portion, just some lomdus perhaps, and not the full package of Torah. These propagandists were (and are) stereotyping the Litvish Torah world as a whole as being people concerned and involved with relative externalities, trivialities, superficial things, while claiming that members of their sect were/are connected to deeper, inner Torah, more 'spiritual', and so on.
Rav Moshe Shapiro z"l, a proud Litvak, and giant in מחשבה, was a living refutation of their disgraceful propaganda. His greatness in מחשבה attracted talmidim from a wide range of backgrounds, including Chasidim. It was so great that it could not be denied, even by members of sects who think that area belongs to them. Hopefully his talmidim will perpetuate this important legacy of his.
תנצב"ה
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