Wednesday, May 30, 2012

R' Slifkin: Unsung heroes of Daf Yomi

Rabbi N. Slifkin   But who are the guests of honor at the grand Siyumim? Who performs the siyum, who makes the speeches, who gets the glory? Not the Daf Yomi participants and not even the maggidei shiurim. Instead, it's the roshei yeshivah.  [...]

With the glory being given to the exponents of Daas Torah, it provides them with a platform to use the event for the politics of Daas Torah. The last Siyum HaShas took place during the peak of the controversial ban on three of my books. One yeshivah figurehead took advantage of the opportunity to strengthen the ideology of Daas Torah, and capitalized on the martyrs of the Holocaust, in whose memories the Siyum HaShas is dedicated. Rav Mattisyahu Solomon spoke about how the martyrs demand us to reject the "makeshift answers" to conflicts between the Gemara and science that are offered by the "midgets of our generation." Aside from the question of whether approaches to the Gemara offered by countless Geonim and Rishonim and Acharonim can be called "makeshift," and the question of whether the victims of the Holocaust really did die for this belief, one has to wonder why a siyum on Daf Yomi is being used to further such an agenda. It's a siyum haShas, not an Agudas Yisroel convention! 

Orthodox Jewish society is made up of many different important people and institutions. We need baalei battim and teachers and schools and lay leaders and yeshivos and roshei yeshivah and universities and academics and shuls and community rabbis and mohelim and shochtim. And there are differences of opinion about whether leadership should be held by lay leaders, community rabbis or roshei yeshivah. But Daf Yomi is not about any of those three groups. They have plenty of opportunities to receive glory, at dinners and Internet Asifas and Agudas Yisroel conventions. Daf Yomi is about the ordinary man who takes his ArtScroll Gemara on the train with him every morning on the way to work. He is the hero of the Siyum HaShas. Let's grant him his well-deserved honor!

11 comments:

  1. Mr. Slifkin, and his likeminded friends and rabbis, are more than welcome and completely free to make their own siyum hashas with whatever rules and speakers and worldview they like best.

    What he is not free to do is dictate to Aguda or anyone else on how to conduct their siyumim.

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  2. Mr. Dan, and his likeminded friends and rabbis, are more than welcome and completely free to make their own blog posts with whatever rules and writers and worldview they like best.

    What he is not free to do is dictate to Rabbi Slifkin or anyone else on how to conduct their blog.

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    Replies
    1. That's nice. Except Slifkin can dance on his head until he is blue in the face, and post whatever drivel pleases him most on his blog with as much criticism as he can think of.

      And Agudah will still not change the Siyum to his liking by even one tiny bit. Nor will the other targets of his critiques modify their stances he doesn't lile.

      Delete
    2. That's nice. Except Mr. Dan can dance on his head until he is blue in the face, and post whatever drivel pleases him most on the comments here with as much criticism as he can think of. And Rabbi Slifkin will still not change his critique of the Siyum to his liking by even one tiny bit.

      Seriously speaking - I highly doubt that Rabbi Slifkin was expecting Agudah to change the Siyum! He was merely airing his opinion. Is there a reason why he shouldn't be allowed to do that?

      Delete
  3. Who is Rav Mattisyahu Solomon?

    ReplyDelete
  4. The mashgiach of Lakewood.

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  5. Dan
    Apart from your ad hominem attack on Rabbi Slifkin, do you have an intelligent contribution to make?
    Slinging mud is a Palestinian tactic

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anyone who dare point out Slifkin's flaws is engaged in a personal ad hominem attack? Nice redefinition. That is quite typical of you liberals who can't tolerate those who argue against you.

      Delete
    2. Dan (Stan, Yudel) whoever you are. Dropping the Rabbi is an ad hominem attach. Can you spell that? Now, get off the internet. It's absolutely Ossur according to YOUR gedolim.

      Delete
    3. Dan, you didn't actually point out any of R. Slifkin's flaws. You just stripped him of his title and asserted that he is not entitled to an opinion.

      Delete
  6. and a sickening modern orth oreformadox tactic too

    ReplyDelete

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