A Tale of Two Hillulas - A Look at the Middle Eastern Hillula Culture, with Effy from Bardak

 A number of months ago we featured a humorous video from Bardak, a duo of young talented frum producers of audio-visual material in Eretz Yisroel. While they seemingly took a break from their joint productions recently, Effy has been producing some fine videos of his own of late, I discovered.

I want to focus on two of the productions in particular, to share a look into the "Hillulah culture" that exists in Eretz Yisroel and elsewhere. It will give us an idea of what what this Sephardic, or Edot Hamizrach phenomenon, later joined by Chasidim (to one degree or another, some more, some less) was and is like. Getting a good look at it will also give us a better understanding of, and insight into those גדולי ישראל and עדות הקדושות who decided that it was not in accordance with their Litvish or Ashkenazic way of Yiddishkeit (basically all non Chasidic Ashkenazim).

First, on י"ד אייר was the Hillulah of R. Meir Baal Hanes. Effy was there on that day, and gave us a good view of the scene. It seems that not many Ashkenazim partake in it, and that it is much smaller than the goings on in Meron a few days later, on ח"י אייר.

At Meron, Effy visited a few days before ל"ג בעומר, before massive crowds arrived, enabling a good look at the background of the large event, in a relaxed atmosphere.

One can easily discern how things like the camping out, eating, drinking, making merry, and the hawking of easy "ישועות", are foreign to a Litvishe or Ashkenaz type of mindset.

May הקב"ה help us serve him in truth, וטהר לבנו לעבדך באמת, and in safety and tranquility.

Toldos Aharon, Chasidic Group Involved in Meron Lag Ba'Omer Catastrophe, Explained

The Jerusalem Post has a good article on Toldos Aharon, which links to a great paper by a professor on the group. Recommended reading for those who want to have a better understanding of them.

According the the Hebrew Wikipedia on the group, its Meron Lag Baomer bonfire is an innovation of its current leader. 

Additional info in English here.

Maran Rav Gershon Edelstein שליט"א was ahead of the curve.

May we be safe, ברוחניות ובגשמיות, and have good news to share.

Dispersing Distortion - On the Authentic Legacy of Reb Shaya ben R. Moshe Steiner of Kerestir

Not long ago, earlier this month, there was a flurry of media activity around the yahrzeit of Reb Shaya of Kerestir, a Chasidic Rebbe from Hungary who passed away close to a century ago. Reb Steiner, a folk hero in his time, whose image was preserved, disseminated, and displayed by some long afterward, due, in part, to a purported utility in combating vermin, in recent years has garnered new attention and constituents in various forms. Among them, a sizable English language book, increased visits to his resting place, new songs related to him, along with various charity and prayer initiatives, inducing contributors at times with miraculous tales and promises of salvation.

For those who look beyond the superficial, however, doubts arise if all of the related activity and hype is really in his spirit, and appropriate.

An excellent piece by the renowned writer Avrohom Birnbaum discussing this question was just published in the Yated Ne'eman (USA) newspaper.

Two points he makes in particular are 1) Reb Shaya fed the poor, particularly many in his time and place who were destitute. Making a fress-fest for the well-fed who might be better off with a strict diet is not what he was about. 2) His stress on the greatness and importance of "poshute Yidden" does not mean that those able to rise higher should suffice with such a level.

May Hashem grant us the wisdom to discern between appropriate imitation and faux veneration.

Chasidic vs. Non-Chasidic Davening - Myth vs. Reality - Moving Beyond Old Stereotypes

There is a notion that exists among some, that when it comes to davening, עבודה שבלב, Chasidic davening is, by default, superior than non-Chasidic davening. And not just slightly better, but greatly so, of a different nature and a different class almost.

But is that actually true?

Not long ago, I saw an article at a Lubavitch website, in which a Lubavitcher Rosh Yeshiva strongly chastised his fellow Chasidim for their dismal level of davening, their speeding in it, and lack of kavannah. And the truth is, one can see the same in more than a few other places, in other Chasidic groups as well.

In the old days, Chasidim used to claim that non-Chasidim daven without heart, and with rapidity. Now it seems that many of them are the ones that are leading in that. On the other hand, in many non-Chasidic minyanim, especially (but not limited to) yeshivos and yeshiva type minyanim, davening is often on a relatively exalted level, at a measured pace, with limited talking, and a serious atmosphere of כוונה.

Now of course, we are just generalizing here. There is a wide range of variety and level of Chasidic davening, as there is non-Chasidic davening. But I think it should be clear to honest observers, that the notion that Chasidic davening is automatically way above non-Chasidic davening is not true, sometimes is היפך האמת, and should find repose in the dustbin of history.

In fact, there are grounds to suspect that the longer davening of Chasidim (they have additional tefillos that נוסח אשכנז does not have), and their insistence, על פי קבלה, on not skipping things in the סידור, thereby limiting the application of the כלל of טוב מעט בכוונה מהרבות בלא כוונה, contributes especially to an excessive speeding while davening problem among them, as some people feel compelled to recite many pages in a limited time, which they can only accomplish by speed davening. This is even more acute of an issue in the modern era, when we grapple with an additional reported problem of short attention spans among many.

May Hashem help us merit the fulfillment of וטהר לבנו לעבדך (תרתי משמע - בכלל, וגם עבודה שבלב בפרט) באמת בקרוב.

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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.

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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. :)

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