The Satmar Rebbe (SR), R. Yoel Teitelbaum, was an iconoclast, well known for his oppositional stance toward Tzionus and Medinas Yisroel.
Despite his strong beliefs and fiery rhetoric, he could also be quite entertaining, with sharp quips and clever wordplay, such as his comments on ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם, that לבבכם is הרצל and עיניכם is (Rav) קוק (to appreciate/understand that one, you need to know some Yiddish).
Less well known among the world at large is another area in which his iconclasm was displayed, namely his scornful dismissal of questionable tales peddled by fellow Chasidim.
A fine illustration of this was brought into view in a recent tweet (via DB) of an image from a sefer reporting an explanation the SR once gave for the Hasidic custom to relate "סיפורי צדיקים" (Hasidic tales) at Melava Malka.
He said that it is brought down that an עם הארץ was held to be more truthful on Shabbos than during the week, due to the spiritual effect of the holy day (the awe of Shabbos is upon him). So, the SR mused, based upon that, that such a person restrains himself all Shabbos not to say falsehood, but when מוצאי שבת arrives he cannot restrain himself any longer.
ודפח"ח
See the related discussion in a previous post as well.
While longtime Chasidim and those knowledgable about it may know such things, people new to it, such as new converts, or neo-Chasidim, might not be similarly aware, to the extent of being dangerously naive. Therefore it is good that some people share such important internal knowledge with the broader community.
יישר כחכם
"Despite his strong beliefs and fiery rhetoric, he could also be quite entertaining, with sharp quips and clever wordplay, such as his comments on ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם, that לבבכם is הרצל and עיניכם is (Rav) קוק (to appreciate/understand that one, you need to know some Yiddish)."
ReplyDeleteI saw that attributed to the Munkatcher Rebbe, the Minchas Elazar.