Reprinted with permission.
Mussar Is IATROGENIC: The Chazon Ish Against Treating Negi’os As Nega’im
From “Making of a Godol” pp. 577-578:
(Also cf. החוזה מליטא by חייים ע. קוליץ published by הוצאת ראובן מס בע”מ, ירושלים pp. 118-119 which demonstrates how R. Scher’s approach interlocked with that of the anti-Musar Hazon-Ish when it states: “Our teacher [the Hazon-Ish] did not generally ascribe importance to the ‘Musarite’ demand for ‘breaking the traits [שבירת המידות]’ [of the personality], or to extra bewonderment of one’s spiritual powers [כוחות הנפש], and even less to picking at someone else’s spirit [emphasis added].
He would say, ‘We need not tell a man all that we know about him.’ In his opinion, good deeds are not disqualified because their performer has self-interest in mind; and he also did not hold that some self-gain [טובת הנאה] — a ‘נגיעה [touching]’, in the Musar terminology — is a sore of leprosy [נגע צרעת] that requires constant scratching. Whoever does that becomes plagued by his scratching. Our teacher smiled and whispered, ‘The World’s Creator and his Torah have more faith in man than do the Musar masters of Novharodok.’*”)
*For G-d’s faith in mankind, see ספרי דברים, אות שז, to wit, “‘אל אמונה’: שהאמין בעולמו ובראו’ (G-d of faith’: Who had faith in the world and created it).” Also cf. p. 480, above, and fn. m ad loc.
The end.