And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end (Ecclesiastes 12:12) A pdf version of this essay can be downloaded here [*] Years in brackets refer to an individual’s or book author’s year of birth Thought experiment for the day: Anyone born 1945 would be pushing towards 80 and mostly past their prime. So name any Charedi sefer written by someone born post war that has or is likely to enter the canon, be it haloche, lomdus, al hatorah or mussar. Single one will do for now — IfYouTickleUs (@ifyoutickleus) July 27, 2022 A tweet in the summer which gained some traction asked for a book by an author born from 1945 onwards that has entered the Torah and rabbinic canon or is heading in that direction. I didn't exactly phrase it this way and some quibbled about 'canonisation'. The word does indeed have a precise meaning though in its popular use it has no narrow definition. Canonisation, or ‘entering the canon’ is generally understood to...
You must however commend the writer for his honesty. Rather than try on rely on pseudo-halachic arguments as with the eiruv, to which this rabbi is opposed, he gives it to you as it is. Those half goyim in Beis Yisroel and Or Chodosh with ‘United Synagogue Rabbis’, well you know what that implies, have ‘superior’ divides and how can we be seen to be inferior. So to the barricades, members, or in this case mechitzos.
Divided we stand and United we fall and long may we continue on this upward spiral. Omein!
Hat tip: Moish
Why on earth did he to have to name the other 'less frum' shuls? What possible benefit could that have brought?
ReplyDeleteThese Union rabbis get on my nerves.....
inferiority complex?
ReplyDeleteTo be fair to the Rabbi, he has gone about it in a good old fashioned way. The modern method and how it would be done round here would be for a zealot or two to approach the rov who would nod his assent fearing the backlash if he dared refuse. Perhaps even that is too much and more than likely 7a.m. mispalelim would turn up one morning to find the new mechitze a fait accompli and dare anyone to tamper with it.
ReplyDeleteSo it's just been done in a bad way as opposed to an appallingly bad way...
ReplyDeleteThe main thing that is appalling in this letter is not the fact that the rabbi approached his community with this suggestion (indeed it's nice to be reminded that in some sections of the frum world people are actually allowed to vote on things), but the very deliberate put down of the two most senior non-Kedassia affiliated rabbonim in London, who, despite the fact that they did not give in to this rav's demands on one particular issue (when they acted in accordance with the psak of great poskim, such as the Tzitz Eliezer, who specifically told the rabbonim involved to disregard what this rav was saying), have never acted with anything but the utmost respect towards him.
ReplyDelete(Tzitz Eliezer 19:17 - http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14518&st=&pgnum=45)
Nobody has said that this Rav is not entitled to an opinion on this or any other topic - but why the constant need to degrade others?
If the rabbonim mentioned in the letter are 'United Synagogue rabbis' then so was Dayan Abramsky, who occupied the same position as they did/do - I sincerely hope the author of this letter would not have had the gall to call him that though. This is rabbinic politics at its worst - petty and displaying a penchant for one-upmanship that makes one ask how much a hiddur in tznius is worth if it comes at the expense of basic derech eretz, especially towards other rabbonim. This was the same attitude that he displayed when he published an even more deliberate insult (he alluded to them not being mekabel Torah properly) towards these rabbonim in a book, as one can see here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=OPuCUDTRUu4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=pinchos+roberts&hl=en&ei=krfrTdaHDYGp8AP1-O2qAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=dubious&f=false
I'm sorry to say, but this man does not deserve a rabbinic position. He should leave or be let go of.
I've never previously heard of a Jewish person called Roberts. Is Rabbi Roberts really Jewish?
ReplyDeleteI think he is from liverpool and a BT. He did learn for years in Gateshead kollel and he was 'head hunted' from there. He is not really 'accepted' by the 'chasidim' in the union and ought to move over with his kehilla to the federation. He must be nearing 70 by now and I would not be surprised if the next rov will do that.
ReplyDelete