Year: 2018

Or in Sefer Chassidim chapter 362’s original phrase: ברבות התאוה יהיו הבנים צדיקים.

Rabbi Moshe Aaron Shochatovitz’s highly recommended book “Binyan Habayis” demonstrates this is also Chazal’s view. This runs contrary to the Chassidic/Cursedian view, of course.

(By the way, Sefer Chassidim there adds שהרהור התורה מבטלת התאוה, but this is factually false, as noted in Likutei Moharan II chapter 106: ראוי להרהר בדברי תורה בשעת זווג, ואעפ”כ יוכל להוליד בנים, אע”פ שמחשבתו תהיה דבוקה אז בהרהורי תורה. וטוב מאד להרגיל עצמו בכך.)

The rule of thumb is: If you don’t, yourself, already fully understand what the conflict is about, and/or the  Gedolim’s dispute appears personal to you, ignore it entirely; their words are not for you yet.

Rabbi Avigdor Miller says it best:

Stay out of it. Keep far away, so that you don’t get burned. It’s none of your business. You’re not a gadol, so stay out of it.

Now, if it’s a matter of fighting against רשעים and אפיקורסים, that’s a different story. None of us can remain silent when we see what the Reformers are doing. When the Reformers say that when a Jew marries a shiksa without converting her, the children are Jews; there we should be fighting them. If a Jew says that you can be a good Jew and still work on Shabbos, then we fight him. If someone is fighting against Hashem, against the Torah, that’s when it’s time to open your mouth. There are times that you have to speak up, no question about it.

But when frum Jews are fighting, we stay out of it. That’s the only safe way. It’s a tragic mistake to mix in because opening your mouth is playing with fire. And not just any fire. Many people have found their way into the fire of Gehenim, because they were foolish enough to open their mouths. There are many people, many good people, who are screaming in Gehenim right now because they opened their big mouths. So why would you want to make the same mistake they did?!

And again:

Q:

Is there one main leader of Klal Yisroel today?

A:

That’s not for me to say. But what I can say is that we do have leaders today. Boruch Hashem, we have leaders.

But I must tell you that I disagree with the attitude of being mivatel, of putting down, someone else’s gadol. No; I disagree with that attitude. Gedolim can be here and Gedolim can be there, and we have to appreciate all of them. Your Gadol doesn’t have to be the only Gadol.

And even though there might be a machlokes, a disagreement, between them; yes, there may be a machlokes between them, but we should stay out of it. It’s fire! Worse than fire! We shouldn’t say a word. Not a word! So if Rav Shach, let’s say, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe may have sichsuchim, some arguments; I don’t know if they have, but if they have some sichsuchim, it’s none of our business. It’s the fire of Gehenim to open up your mouth. Keep your mouth closed. It’s a tragic mistake to mix in.

And the wisest way is to say nothing at all and to have the greatest derech eretz the greatest respect, for all those people who are recognized. After all, the Lubavitcher Rebbi is recognized by many people. And Rav Shach is recognized by many people. So we should keep our mouths closed and recognize both of them. That’s the way we should follow.

Why did the earth open its big mouth to swallow Korach? Because Korach opened his big mouth to speak against Moshe. So don’t open your mouth! Because even today, the earth opens its mouth to bury men. Many are swallowed in an early grave because they opened their mouths. And what’s even worse; many are swallowed into Gehenim, just as was Korach. So don’t open your mouth. You’re only going to bring trouble upon yourself.

פרקי אבות א’ י’:

שמעיה אומר… ואל תתודע לרשות.

פירוש החתם סופר:

היינו מלכות, ואמרו בלשון רשות לומר הטעם שרשות בידם לעשות כרצונם ואין מעכב בידם, ובאמת אדם אשר אין עליו שליט ומושל א”א לאדם להתחבר עמו כי מי יודע איזה דרך יבחר בזו הרגע ויהי’ דורס וטורף, על כן אלמלא מוראו של מלך במשפט יעמיד ארץ אין להתחבר עם שום אדם, א”כ המלך עצמו שהרשות בידו יש להתרחק ממנו, וה”ה אותן בני אדם שחושבים עצמם הפקר ואין אלקים ולא אימת מלך שלמטה נגד עיניהם הכל בכלל אל תתודע לרשות וק”ל.

Peace is nothing if fame is the metric.

We know of Napolean and Alexander, Genghis Khan, Herod, and Shalmaneser, and other “Great”, world-historical, bankrupting, mass-murdering emperors, but not of those unremarkable advisors, etc., who mediated and postponed and resolved horrific conflict and largely kept the peace, let alone the invisible, ungreat peace-seeking victims from within and without.

I think this is the simple meaning of the parable in Koheles (9:13-18):

גם זה ראיתי חכמה תחת השמש וגדולה היא אלי.
עיר קטנה ואנשים בה מעט ובא אליה מלך גדול וסבב אתה ובנה עליה מצודים גדלים.
ומצא בה איש מסכן חכם ומלט הוא את העיר בחכמתו ואדם לא זכר את האיש המסכן ההוא.
ואמרתי אני טובה חכמה מגבורה וחכמת המסכן בזויה ודבריו אינם נשמעים.
דברי חכמים בנחת נשמעים מזעקת מושל בכסילים.
טובה חכמה מכלי קרב וחוטא אחד יאבד טובה הרבה.

Yes, there are people who will pay you to get inspired…

An Avreich once noted nearly his whole day was sold: morning kollel, shachris kollel, tests kollel, Friday kollel, evening kollel, motza’ei shabbos kollel, travel time, kollel chatzos… The only things he still does for free, he said, are bentching Asher Yatzar and Hamapil. (And those oversights will, presumably, be rectified.)

A kollel where they pay you money to supposedly gain disinterested Ahavas Hashem invests new meaning in the Rambam in Hilchos Teshuvah 10:5.

He writes: כל העוסק בתורה כדי לקבל שכר… הרי זה עוסק שלא לשמה… ואמרו חכמים לעולם יעסוק אדם בתורה ואפילו שלא לשמה שמתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה לפיכך כשמלמדין את הקטנים ואת הנשים וכלל עמי הארץ אין מלמדין אותן אלא לעבוד מיראה וכדי לקבל שכר עד שתרבה דעתן ויתחכמו חכמה יתירה מגלים להם רז זה מעט מעט…

But I’m not writing to laugh at Mussar Kollels. To the contrary, the main problem with serious Mussar study is Bittul Torah (and not in the narrow sense of time lost, but the mental concentration absorbed on outside topics, as the Ritva explains the prohibition against non-heretical “ספרים חיצונים”).

I think the only Heter to learn Mussar seriously is if you’re getting paid! And I definitely support making money, as long you don’t imagine Mussar equals Torah.