Chabad II - Rav Schach/Disputing attack on him

GUEST POST: yoni's comment to "Chabad - Rav Schach/Disputing attack on him":

Despite Rav Shach's opposition to Rav Schneersohn he nevertheless recited Tehillim when Rav Schneerson fell ill. Rav Shach explained “My battle is against his erroneous approach, against the movement, but not against the people in any personal way. I pray for the Rebbe’s recovery and simultaneously, also pray that he abandon his invalid way.”[12]

Rav Shach wrote [13] that he was not at all opposed to chassidim and chassidus (including Chassidus Chabad from the previous generations[14]); he said he recognized them as "yera'im" and "shlaymim" and full of Torah and Mitzvos and fear of heaven.[15] Shach often said and wrote that the slander spread against him about his persecution of chassidim was something he could never forgive, for it had transformed him into a baal machlokes, a disputant, at a time when he loved peace and pursued it to the nth degree.[12] He is quoted as saying, "We are fighting against secularism in the yeshivas. Today, besiyata deShmaya people are learning Torah in both Chassidic and Lithuanian yeshivos. In my view there is no difference between them; all of them are important and dear to me. In fact, go ahead and ask your Chassidic friends with us at Ponevezh if I distinguish between Chassidic and Lithuanian bochurim."[16]

12 ^ http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5766/eikev/olubvlornczekv66.htm

13 ^ Michtavim U'Maamaromim 5:533 (pg. 137)

14 ^ Michtavim U'Maamorim 2:23 (pg. 31) 1986 edition.

15 ^ Michtavim U'Maamaromim 5:534 (pg. 138)

16 ^ http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5763/TZR63features2.htm