There is a Chasidic vertel (small vort) that goes something like this -
It says in the beginning of parshas Noach,נח איש צדיק (בראשית ו:ט). Rashi there comments from Chazal, יש מרבותינו דורשים לשבח, ויש שדורשים לגנאי (some of our Rabbis interpret this in a positive way, that Noach was a tzadik in his weak generation, all the more so would he have been in a stronger one, while others interpret it negatively, that in his spiritually meager generation he was considered righteous, but in a better generation he would not have been).
So the Hasidic comment notes that Rashi only uses the term מרבותינו (of our rabbis) when mentioning the positive interpretation, and not with the negative one. Why, it continues? To show us that someone who interprets negatively is not worthy of being called one of our rabbis.
Update: Our dear friend and commenter who goes here by the moniker of Old Litvak, has given us a source for this in ספר פרדס יוסף (lower left of page - more below in comments section).
Litvish analysis and Fact check
Though Hasidim and neo-Hasidim like the TYH folk may like that, it doesn't hold water. As seen in the beginning of פרשת ויקהל, which we just read, in שמות לה:ג, where Rashi cites a different machlokes, about fire on Shabbos. He also cites a first opinion with the expression מרבותינו there, while omitting it when afterward citing a second one, even though this not a case where one side is a positive interpretation and the other a negative one. Showing us that that just is the way of Rashi (perhaps, or should I say likely, to economize on verbiage and letters in the days before printing, when things were written by hand).
Another baseless Hasidic "feel-good" vertel bites the dust.
We must search for truth in Torah and life, rather than trying to force preconceived notions onto the text where they don't fit.
ברוך אלקינו שנתן לנו תורת אמת
In the zechus of אמת may we be zoche to the great ברכות that go along with it.
א גוטע וואך און א גוטען חודש
Do you have a source for the "vertel"?
ReplyDeleteNot offhand at the moment, maybe it can be found, maybe someone recalls it. Presumably it would be found in Hasidic comments on Parshas Noach.
ReplyDeleteAs it stands, your point seems to be that a chossid was capable of saying something silly. I'm sure you mean more than that but it's not coming across.
ReplyDeleteNo. I guess you are neo-Chasidic or something like that, so are trying to downplay and diminish the dishonesty and absurdity of the Hasidic vertel under discussion, by trying to make it as if it came just from an unlearned lay Hasid, and was not representative of Hasidism in general. I understand that.
DeleteHowever, you are incorrect, it (the vertel) is not an unknown, obscure, unrepresentative thing. Aderaba, it is a Hasidic vort/vertel, perhaps from a Hasidic leader (maybe, בעזרת השי"ת we will be zoche to see source(s) for it, stay tuned), that reflects Hasidic thinking and values, and is known, before and beyond the post here. אמת, אמת, אמת!
The "vertel" is widely known but if you need a source, a short search on Rabbeinu Google netted multiple results. Here's but one
Deletehttps://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=41901&st=&pgnum=65&hilite
תודה רבה ויישר כחך לידידנו היקר המכנה עצמו פה ליטוואק ישן
Deleteחזק ואמץ
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI was close to a Chassidishe Rebbe who lived on the LES, (he came there after the war.) He was great beyond any description, because he was Kulo Torah. He knew Shas with every Tosafos by heart, but it was his Middos that truly set him apart. I think that groups like TYH and Chabad are distortions of Chassidus. Rabbi Miller said that Rosho and Rash have the same letters and this teaches that a Rosho makes a lot of noise trying to draw attention to itself. Real Jews practice the religion quietly without fanfare.
ReplyDelete