My Two Cents
OK. I finally read up on this Slifkin thing. Read through his website, read through the article from the Yated where he was banned. Read through some blogs. If I knew how to link, or was that interested in linking things, then I would try a different browser, but I am not all that interested in changing my browser just to make things easier for anyone else. Call me selfish. Or whatever.
Anyway, I read through a lot of posts, web sites, comments and articles about this Slifkin thing, and my opinion on "Da'as Torah" didn't change. Nor did my opinion of Gedalei Yisrael, Rabbi Slifkin or my belief that the Tigers have an outside chance at staying within ten games of winning the AL Central.
To me, modern day yeshiva rabbis (where the Gedolei Yisroel come from) are pretty much living with their ehads in the sand. They preach against higher education, reaching out to others, and living a non-yeshivish torah life. To be honest, I have no patience for them.
I learned many things in Yeshiva, but these two things have stuck with me.
1) Daf Yomi is a worthless exercise. It is something only small-minded Baal Habatim do who can't learn a real Seder. This opinion, which was constantly reinforced by Rabbis in the many yeshivas I went to, has stuck with me, and even though I don't have the time and never really had the patience to sit through a seder going through Gemara with all the commentaries, I can't see myself ever wasting my time with the Daf.
2) Its better not to Daven with a minyan than to Daven without a hat or jacket on. This message, too, was reinforced in many of the Yeshivas I learned in, and since the hat was one of the first things I got rid of after finishing high school, you can guess how often i have attended daily minyan since.
During my two years at Ner Israel in Toronto, the Rosh yeshiva came into the gym exactly one time. It was after night seder, and we were playing hockey against another Toronto boy's high school. The Rosh Yeshiva, together with his entourage that included the Menahel and the Mashgiach, sent the boys from the other school home, banned them from coming back to Ner Israel, and ried to drive a wedge between those of us at Ner and those who didn't go to Ner.
I don't know if Rabbi Ginsburg was a Torah gadol, but after he died, Some of the Frummie magazines did write ups on this "Giant." A Giant, of course, who was so insecure in his teachings that he was afraid that playing hockey with other frum yeshiva boys (OK, they weren't that frum. Their school didn't put them through a rigorous 14 hour schedule and threaten to kick them out of school for the mere thought of talking to a girl) would send us all flying off the derech.
Of course, that isn't all. You don't go through the Yeshiva education system with only one story of absurd rabbinical acts. It probably isn't even the most absurd thing a Rabbi did in my presence. And the late Rabbi Ginsburg isn't close to the top of my list of most hated rabbonim.
But it is an example as to why I don't bother with the opinion of the average "Torah Giant." They don't think about consequences, and very often, they don't bother getting the facts.
So does the Slifkin ban, the shaitel-follies, the Reinman debate, and the making of a Rabbi scandal change my opinion of our elite?
Absolutely not. It only serves to reinforce long-held positions about people those living in Yeshiva Fantasy Land.
Anyway, I read through a lot of posts, web sites, comments and articles about this Slifkin thing, and my opinion on "Da'as Torah" didn't change. Nor did my opinion of Gedalei Yisrael, Rabbi Slifkin or my belief that the Tigers have an outside chance at staying within ten games of winning the AL Central.
To me, modern day yeshiva rabbis (where the Gedolei Yisroel come from) are pretty much living with their ehads in the sand. They preach against higher education, reaching out to others, and living a non-yeshivish torah life. To be honest, I have no patience for them.
I learned many things in Yeshiva, but these two things have stuck with me.
1) Daf Yomi is a worthless exercise. It is something only small-minded Baal Habatim do who can't learn a real Seder. This opinion, which was constantly reinforced by Rabbis in the many yeshivas I went to, has stuck with me, and even though I don't have the time and never really had the patience to sit through a seder going through Gemara with all the commentaries, I can't see myself ever wasting my time with the Daf.
2) Its better not to Daven with a minyan than to Daven without a hat or jacket on. This message, too, was reinforced in many of the Yeshivas I learned in, and since the hat was one of the first things I got rid of after finishing high school, you can guess how often i have attended daily minyan since.
During my two years at Ner Israel in Toronto, the Rosh yeshiva came into the gym exactly one time. It was after night seder, and we were playing hockey against another Toronto boy's high school. The Rosh Yeshiva, together with his entourage that included the Menahel and the Mashgiach, sent the boys from the other school home, banned them from coming back to Ner Israel, and ried to drive a wedge between those of us at Ner and those who didn't go to Ner.
I don't know if Rabbi Ginsburg was a Torah gadol, but after he died, Some of the Frummie magazines did write ups on this "Giant." A Giant, of course, who was so insecure in his teachings that he was afraid that playing hockey with other frum yeshiva boys (OK, they weren't that frum. Their school didn't put them through a rigorous 14 hour schedule and threaten to kick them out of school for the mere thought of talking to a girl) would send us all flying off the derech.
Of course, that isn't all. You don't go through the Yeshiva education system with only one story of absurd rabbinical acts. It probably isn't even the most absurd thing a Rabbi did in my presence. And the late Rabbi Ginsburg isn't close to the top of my list of most hated rabbonim.
But it is an example as to why I don't bother with the opinion of the average "Torah Giant." They don't think about consequences, and very often, they don't bother getting the facts.
So does the Slifkin ban, the shaitel-follies, the Reinman debate, and the making of a Rabbi scandal change my opinion of our elite?
Absolutely not. It only serves to reinforce long-held positions about people those living in Yeshiva Fantasy Land.
posted by Air Time at 11:45 PM
7 Comments:
I have a good story for you. i'm not sure what the moral lesson is but its still good. My friend was sitting in shiur spacing out and he heard his Rebbi tell someone "Thats an answer but its only a bala-batish answer". My friend immediately asked, "Whats wrong with a Ba'al Habayit?" The rebbi quickly replied "nothing." "So why," my friend asked, "do you say say that an answer without a lot of depth is a bala-batish answer? Are you saying a baal habayit is a person without depth?" The Rebbi immediately stopped the shiur and gave a half hour shmooze/apology about how it is a horrible to use the expression "baalei batish answer," the importance of baalei batim, etc. A few years later the rabbi saw the guy and told him that any time he is about to use that expression, an image of this guy comes up and he holds himself back.
Maybe the point is that a lot of Rabbis say stupid things cuz thats what their Rabbi said and they never stop and think about it.
Or maybe the point is that instead of bitching about what a Rabbi said you can confront him and find out either why what he said makes sense or make him think about it and, if hes man enough, correct himself.
WOW david sticking up for teh rabbi's this is new, israel must have changed you:)
I guess I'll weigh in my two cents here, there was only one Rabbi i truly respected, and he refused to be called rabbi, and that was Lee. He lived in teh real world, understood what was going on, and when he gave a shiur, he was able to relate to everybody in the room.
I think that rabbis are getting a bad rap here. Most rabbis are not jerks. Of course some rabbis are. But there are also some black and hispanic people who mug everyone they see. Does that mean you cross the street everytime you see a black person on the same side of the street?
There is a time to cross the street and a time to call a rabi a jerk. But i would say most of the time it would be good to stay on your side of the street and be respectful of the rabbi.
Wow Airtime. Look at all these comments.
What DID happen that time when the OC boys were kicked out?? I seem to recall something of the sort.
Reinman debate? Could I have possibly missed that one?!
We were in the middle of playing them hockey in the gym one night after night seder. All of the sudden, Rabbis Ginsburg, Kravitz and Rabinowitz (I think that was the moshgiachs name) walked in and kicked the OC boys out. They did not want us associating with such "evildoers." I think it was senior year, but it may have been in 11th grade.
The Reinman debate centers on Rabbi Reinman coauthoring a book with a reform rabbi, essentially debating Orthodox Judaism with Reform Judaism. After writing the book, the two authors were supposed to go on a tour debating the merits of their position and thei rbrand of orthodoxy.
The powers that be felt that this gave a platform for Reform Judaism, and gave it legitamacy, and banned him from going on the tour.
Rabbi Reinman acquiesced to the wishes of the powers that be, and did not do the book tour.
ahhhh yes. I remember the Reinman deal. I also seem to recall the OC Ejection. Was the reason of not allowing us to hang together the one seriously given?
Honestly, I don't remember the exact reason given. If that wasn't it, i'm sure someone said something about the Yeshiva's insurance policy not covering non-students who play in the gym. (Of course, that never stopped kollel families from letting their kids go into the gym.)
Post a Comment
<< Home