The Litvishe Purim Guide - חזרת השיעורים תשפ"א

 For those who want a חזרה, and those who haven't seen them previously, past Purim posts, להבדיל בין האור ובין החושך can be seen this way.

Venahapoch Hu - ונהפוך הוא - When Chasidim Become Misnagdim - The Stories Less Heard

There is a quite interesting book that came out within the last year, a biography of the great Rav Noach Weinberg z"l of Aish HaTorah fame, by the well known scribe Yonason Rosenblum.

In the beginning of the book, in a chapter on his roots, an interesting aspect of R. Noach is mentioned. There it is related that he used to remark in his later years that despite his eminent Chasidic roots (he was a great-great grandson of the first Slonimer Rebbe, with close connections to other Rebbes and Chasidim as well), 'somehow he was born a Misnaged' (p.25). It goes on to say that when his father used to try to relate Hasidic tales to him as a youngster, he resisted. Perhaps, as a person who determinedly sought אמת, even in his youth he was put off by the questionable veracity of "Chasidishe Mayses", a genre notoriously credibility challenged, as stated by great Rebbes themselves (documented here in the past, see e.g. here, and here). 

The point I want to make, however, is that this brings to light something that exists, but perhaps is not as well known as it should be. Namely the phenomenon of Chasidim, people of Hasidic descent, going Litvish, taking a non-Chasidic path, joining the non-Hasidic frum world. While there is a Hasidic genre going back to the early days of the Hasidic movement of tales of non-Chasidim that became Chasidic, the other side of the coin, the reverse phenomenon is not as well known. But it definitely exists, and has for a long time, encompassing many, many people, בע"ה, from banshakim (plural of בנש"ק = בנן של קדושים, a Chasidic expression for those of Rebbishe descent), to common Chasidim. Perhaps for various reasons, people involved and in the know didn't dwell on, make an avodah of such stories, as Chasidim did with their opposite numbers. Anyway, Rav Noach is just one person in that category, in his close circle alone there are multiple similar examples, some prominent ones being his brother R. Yaakov Weinberg z"l, his Rosh Yeshiva Rav Ruderman z"l, and on and on. In an earlier time, a very prominent example was the great gaon R. Aizel Charif of Slonim, and of course there was the Steipler Gaon not so long ago. And there are many Chasidim influenced by the Litvishe world, in various other ways, even if they don't openly switch over (something that can be difficult for some, due to family ties, and other factors).

Since we are now in the month of אדר, approaching the great Yom tov of Purim, the season of ונהפוך הוא, it is a good time to turn the regular perspective around, and look at the other side of the coin. 

A bit to whet the appetite. ואידך זיל גמור.

א פרייליכען חודש

Another Breslov Song In Disguise From Yehudah Green - Di Rebbe Iz Do | יהודה גרין - דער רבי איז דא

 I recently saw a new music video by well known, talented singer Yehudah Green being promoted online, which caught my attention, but some time passed before I actually played it. 

The song is entitled "Yehuda Green - Di Rebbe Iz Do | יהודה גרין - דער רבי איז דא" ("The Rebbe is here"), and the words sung are mostly in Yiddish, with some Hebrew tacked on near the end. 

But what type of רבי is meant? First I thought it might be a yeshiva rebbe, like a teacher of לימודי קודש in a classroom. But I quickly realized that was not the case, when the song made reference to Chasidim vis-à-vis the Rebbe. Obviously it was a Chasidic Rebbe, an אדמו"ר that was meant. But still, I was wondering about the background of the song. From the lyrics one understood that the song was addressing Chasidim gathering in the (physical) absence of their Rebbe, that were comforting themselves by maintaining that the Rebbe is nevertheless with them, despite not being seen. But I was still wondering about where the song was coming from. A clue came from one of the words used in the (predominantly) Yiddish section, קיבוץ (gathering), a word used by Breslover Chasidim for their Rosh Hashana gathering in Uman, which is otherwise not heard much in such context among חרדים (perhaps because over time it came to be commonly associated with a different type of kibbutz). I also recalled the Breslov roots of the singer, Yehuda Green, and a previous song of his with an undisclosed Breslov background that we posted about here a number of years ago.

To try to confirm my hunch about the song, I did some searching online, and guess what, voilà! I found a comprehensive report on the background of the song at a Breslover website. According to it, the song came together around this past ראש השנה תשפ"א, when many Breslovers could not go to Uman, due to the COVID-19 situation, and some instead gathered in Ramot, ירושלים עיה"ק. Along with the video of the Yehuda Green version of the song, it has a recording of an earlier (or the original) version of the song, in which the Breslov context and background of it is explicit. In that earlier version, the lyrics state that at every kibbutz of Breslover Chasidim, the Rebbe (R. Nachman of Breslov) is there, as R. Nosson (R. Nachman's student/successor) said. In the later Yehudah Green version, on the other hand, it just says Chasidim סתם, and 'as the תלמיד said' instead of 'as R. Nosson said'.

As with the earlier song mentioned, evidently with the latter as well, an effort was made to obscure the Breslov background of the song in the Yehudah Green version, to give it greater appeal to a broader audience.

Due to the commonalities between the two cases, my verdict remains the same as previously stated: Not for Litvaks. :)

א גוטען חודש

How a Lubavitcher Taught a Litvak to Say No

No more Mr. Nice Guy.

Sometimes you just need to turn them flat down.

(h/t)

Rav Avigdor Miller Warns Against Unwholesome and Dangerous Distortions in Torah Study

A few months ago, in the 5781 שבת שובה Toras Avigdor booklet (p.6-7), Rav Avigdor Miller ז"ל addressed some dangerous distortions in Torah study and teaching, that exist among some Torah students and teachers, including, unfortunately, some identified with the Litvishe community, that can lead to Torah impoverishment and alienation, G-d forbid.

In particular, two distortions were described.

1) Covering too little ground. Getting bogged down in a Talmudic thicket, and not getting to know the vast, beautiful forest around it. It is very important to have context, to get the proverbial big picture, in Torah as in life, for proper understanding, and one doesn't get that from a relative few pages.

Rav Avigdor Miller states emphatically, based on his experience in great ישיבות of the past, that learning Torah does not mean learning merely the first six blatt of a מסכת, albeit with "all rishonim and achronim" in a winter zman. Rather much more was learned. As Rav Miller states, essential Torah principles and wisdom are not limited to the most widely studied pages of  Talmudic tractates, but rather appear throughout the vast Talmudic sea (ים התלמוד). And through the תוה"ק in general, of course.

2) Skipping "non-lomdish" sections of gemara. Rav Miller speaks harshly of a rebbi he once had, that, when they came to sections of the Talmud that were not "legalistic", but rather dealt with חכמה, מוסר, eitzos, and yiras shamayim, he would skip them (!).

A wholesome Torah education leads to a wholesome Torah personality. A fragmented and piecemeal Torah education can lead (G-d forbid) to a deficient, semi-educated, fragmented, immature product.

As the saying goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

May Hashem help us learn and grow appropriately.

Aftermath of Chabad-Lubavitch "Miracle Torah" - Dramatic Crown Heights COVID Increase

Look at what the situation is now.

People who were part of the scam, either knowingly, or duped into it, should speak out now and renounce it. Whether a maggid, a Rabbi, or one of the few Roshei Yeshiva, wake up, and be מתחרט for joining up with Lubavitch and leaving the path of Rav Schach זצ"ל.

ושב ורפא לו

Wishing אחב"י a רפואת הנפש ורפואת הגוף בתוך שאר חולי ישראל.

Neo-Chasidus Guitar Hallel in the Spotlight

 One of the trademark innovations of Neo-Chasidus (in addition to the Tisha B'Av kumzitzes) is its Hallel with musical instruments playing. Mostly guitars it seems, but there could be other instruments too. Such things can be seen on Rosh Chodesh, and on various Yamim tovim.

Now, not everyone realizes that the propriety of such a service is not a simple matter. Significant halachic authorities do not permit such things, for various reasons.

A short time ago, I noticed a post at the Life in Israel blog, related to this. According to it, a dispute erupted after someone came into a minyan with a violin and started playing it during Hallel. Later on, they agreed to ask a שאלה to a מורה הוראה about it.  The question was posed to Rav Shlomo Aviner, a leading Dati-Leumi Rabbi, and he said that it should be avoided.

I am writing this to call attention to this matter, but also in general to the innovations of Neo-Chasidus, which some people do not seem aware of, which warrant scrutiny. As we see here, even in the Dati-Leumi camp, there exists opposition to (at least some of) their actions.

A freilechen Yom Tov.