Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Holy amnesia: remembering religious sages as super humans or as simply human

University of Portsmouth reprints by Yohai Hakak (2009)

 Abstract
The last decade has witnessed a wave of Haredi literature dealing with the education of children and youth in particular. A common question raised in this literature is that of the proper way to describe the Torah sages of previous generations, i.e., what needs to be remembered and what should be forgotten about them. Many of the writers criticize the ways of writing customary up to our time, which tended to describe Torah sages as superhuman and as lacking any weaknesses or failings; raising educational concerns, they call for a change in these ways of portrayal. In this article, I apply Mary Douglas’s theoretical model of ‘‘enclave culture’’ to the current social circumstances of the Haredi community, in an attempt to explain both the origins of this trend as well as the sources of opposition to these new ways of writing history within the Haredi community.

In 2002 , Rabbi Nathan Kamenetsky’s book Making of a Godol was published. The title of the book suggests the writer’s intention to demonstrate that even the greatest Torah sages did not come into the world with all the attributes of greatness, but rather went through a long process of struggle with human difficulties and weaknesses. The book raised a storm and within a short time was banned. The great Torah sages of Israel, headed by Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, demanded that the author cease its distribution.

In a letter banning the book, signed by the greatest Lithuanian rabbis in Israel, the book is described thus:

It is full of grave humiliations, flippancies, and mockeries and creates a bad name for some of our greatest rabbis who are the holiest of the luminaries of Israel of the last generations. For they are the ‘ancients [who are] like angels’ and from their words all Israel lives [...] and the greatness of their honour and holiness is rooted in the heart of every God-fearing Jew. And this book seeks to abolish this through slander, disgrace and humiliation of their glorified honour, which is also the honour of our blessed God and our holy Torah.
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page 17:

Rabbi Hutner’s comments continued to make waves. Rabbi Yechiel Ya’acob-amongst the most prominent Haredi educators, also referred to this issue. In his lectures, he would often proclaim that ‘‘one should remove the Torah sages from the Burial Society,’’ when hinting at the fact that their current description in Haredi biographies causes children and youth to despair and in fact ‘‘buries’’ them alive. Rabbi Ya’acobson claims in his lectures that ‘‘one cannot educate through lies’’ and mentions that the Bible and the Talmud are replete with uncomplimentary descriptions about the nation’s illustrious figures.

Another educator to relate to the subject was Rabbi Yitzhak Hershkowitz,35 in his book She’ifot(‘‘Strivings’’) (2003 p. c) he devotes the 14 pages of the introduction to his voluminous book to shattering the delusion regarding the path of the Torah sages. As part of this effort,he introduces tales that testify to Torah sages’ struggles with the evil inclination andto the immense effort they had to invest in in order to become renowned in Torah.Thus, for example, he offers comments made by the Vilna Gaon to his student, the Magid MiDubnow, who asked to be bestowed with his evil inclination. In reply to the request, Hershkowitz quotes the Vilna Gaon as saying (2003, p. 3): ‘‘My child, may the Lord protect you from my evil inclination; it burns in me like fire!’’ On page 6, under the heading ‘‘Most Torah Sages Did Not Have Talent’’ he describes the tremendous efforts that befell whoever became a Torah sage and the travail that was the lot of those achieving this status...

18 comments :

  1. i would suggest that people click the link and read the entire article before responding (not that i expect that to make any difference in what people think; i just find the idea of responding to something one hasn't read to be juvenile beyond belief) .

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  2. Attributing superhuman characteristics to our leaders has a old pedigree in Judaism. If people take the mirashim that describes the 12 sons of Yaakov Avinu, a"h, as a clique of superheros, each with their own set of super powers, then how can one be surprised at the subsequent idolification of our great rabbonim?

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    1. I'd like to see those medrashim :) Where are they?
      Anyway, once you start saying certain medrashim cannot be accepted (or did you just leave out the word literally? Even so) aren't you stepping onto a slippery slope?
      Besides, as any comics reader knows, superheroes aren't perfect beings just because of their powers/abilities.

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  3. Thanks for suggesting to read the whole article. There is a difference between one's level when one is aspiring to achieve greatness and when one is considered to have become the role model and a gadol.

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  4. I see here a confusion of two things. One, is the great tsadik who was once not a great tsadik, but worked on himself and succeeded. This is ultimately a compliment and there is nothing negative about it. The other more sensitive area is after somebody becomes a gadol and has problems because he is is not perfect. There are gemoras that tell us of people i who did things we may not think were perfect. I believe the Chazon Ish writes that there is loshon hora on them in the gemora. Why is it there? Because we have to know two things about gedolim. One, they were not born perfect but struggled, and two, struggle never ends. Nobody is perfect or else, as the Vilna Gaon says, why are they still alive? Life is only to conquer one's evil inclination. And when the challenge is finished, there is no purpose in life.
    Furthermore, as the article quotes the Vilna Gaon, his Yetser Hora was a fire, it was terrible. Why? Because "whoever is greater has a great Evil Inclination." This can sometimes have terrible implications. For this Moshe Rabbeinu at the height of his powers was punished for his behavior at the rock. The Evil Inclination grows stronger as we become holier, and it is designed to make us sin and fail. Who can escape it?
    There is also an issue of people who are geniuses. In Vollozhen brilliant students were categorized as full geniuses, half geniuses, etc. Somebody said, "What is half a genius? It means as follows. Every genius is half crazy. So if a genius is only half a genius, he is completely crazy. Somebody said about the Chofetz Chaim that he was one of the very few great people who was complete and solid in his perfection. But that does not mean he was born that way. And those who were not perfect were still great leaders of Israel and great tsadikim, but maybe not as the Chofetz Chaim and maybe not so perfect as he was.

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    1. Why? Because "whoever is greater has a great Evil Inclination."

      Only a Litvak would say that. Therefore a Chassid could very much object to any suggestion that his Rebbe sinned.

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    2. Ben Waxman,
      This is a gemora. See gemora Succah 52a כל הגדול מחבירו יצרו גדול הימנו
      A lengthy gemora there discusses this:
      תלמוד בבלי מסכת סוכה דף נב עמוד א

      תנו רבנן: ואת הצפוני ארחיק מעליכם - זה יצר הרע, שצפון ועומד בלבו של אדם; והדחתיו אל ארץ ציה ושממה - למקום שאין בני אדם מצויין להתגרות בהן; את פניו אל הים הקדמוני - שנתן עיניו במקדש ראשון והחריבו והרג תלמידי חכמים שבו; וסופו אל הים האחרון - שנתן עיניו במקדש שני והחריבו, והרג תלמידי חכמים שבו; ועלה באשו ותעל צחנתו - שמניח אומות העולם ומתגרה בשונאיהם של ישראל; כי הגדיל לעשות - אמר אביי: ובתלמידי חכמים יותר מכולם. כי הא, דאביי שמעיה לההוא גברא דקאמר לההיא אתתא: נקדים וניזיל באורחא. אמר: איזיל אפרשינהו מאיסורא. אזל בתרייהו תלתא פרסי באגמא. כי הוו פרשי מהדדי שמעינהו דקא אמרי: אורחין רחיקא וצוותין בסימא. אמר אביי: אי מאן דסני לי הוה - לא הוה מצי לאוקומיה נפשיה. אזל, תלא נפשיה בעיבורא דדשא, ומצטער. אתא ההוא סבא, תנא ליה: כל הגדול מחבירו יצרו גדול הימנו. אמר רבי יצחק: יצרו של אדם מתגבר עליו בכל יום, שנאמר +בראשית ו+ רק

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    3. Ben Waxman,
      There are two things. One thing is that a great tsadik has a great evil inclination. The other thing is whether the great tsadik listened to his yetser hora. That is something else. All of the great tsadikim have great yetser horas, that is clearly stated in the gemora. But if they listen to their yetser is another issue. A Chosid will admit that his rebbe has a great yetser hora but he won't suspect that the rebbe sinned. And if his rebbe sinned, I don't know how the Chosid would react. There was once a great rebbe who was very nervous and once, in a depression or whatever, did something shocking. Some hassidim left him and some did not.

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    4. As I recall, according to Tanya a beinoni never sins in action, speech, or thought, but still has to struggle with yetzer. A tzadik is someone who has overcome his yetzer completely.

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    5. i know that gemara. the ba'al hatanya holds that this is only talking about a beinoni. a true tzaddik has cancelled his yetzer harah.

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    6. i assume that you are talking about the kotzker and the candle. i was told that an academic did some research on that incident and concluded that it was invented by a yiddish play writer.

      anyway, you and the ba'al hatanya disagree. like i say about all of these issues - whatever works for you.

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  5. Check out Bamidbar ch.15. There it tells us what sacrifices to bring if the Sanhedrin err.
    However, it states that those who deliberately sin , are blasphemers. So as far as the Torah is concerned there is no perfection or infallible leadership.

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  6. Check out the frumteens moderator comments here:

    http://classic.frumteens.com/topic.php?topic_id=2971&forum_id=21&topic_title=making+of+a+godol&forum_title=&M=1

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  7. And rabbi Shapiro here:

    http://www.baismedrash.com/?s=purim+lesson#

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  8. Eddie,
    Where does the Torah say there is no perfection? If the Sanhedrin can sin, it can also remain without sin. The gemora says there were those who died without sin, and the Ari z"l added Reb Moshe Kardevero to that list.

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    1. Please see Shaar Ruach HaKodesh of the Ari Zal Drush 1, where he clearly says that there no righteous person who never sinned. In the Ari's view many people could die without sin through tikkunim(such as the Ramak) but no one, even Moshe Rabbeinu never sinned.

      So, amongst many other places, that is where the Torah says it.

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    2. Does the Arizal say that the ארבעה שמתו בעטיו של נחש sinned? If so, how does that tally with the Gemara? If not, then how is your comment relevant ? We know that Moshe Rabbeinu sinned - the Chumash says so explicitly. Yet we are told by Chazal that some people did not sin, so we see that it is possible. If you are saying that it's only possible through tikunim (whatever that means), then that might be, but it is still possible.

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    3. Reb Dovid makes a good point, IMHO.

      The Torah says that it is possible that anyone or any Beis Din can err or even sin. Possibility is not the same as certainty. But it does not state that there is infallibility.

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