Witch hunt?! - Learning the sources of different hashkofos

Bartley Kulp wrote:

Again, I think that this is turning into a Salem witch trial. I also want to make a disclaimer that I am not a Breslover nor do I belong to that Kehilla. I am just calling it as I see it. A witch trial.

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The above comment is both rather strange and rather common. I have so far presented 3 posts regarding Breslov. 1) A citation from a Breslov website listing quotes from Rav Nachman that are readily obtained from the Breslover writings and which no self respecting Breslaver is ashamed to acknowledge. 2) An article from YNET which describes the controversy concerning Rav Yermiah Cohen's pamphlet criticizing Breslav and the Breslaver rejection of said criticism. 3) An article written by the well regarded scholar Dr. Etkes about the secret 200 year old document of Breslav concerning Moshiach which was recently given by Breslav chassidim to a Bar Ilan professor who succeeded in decoding it with the aid of Breslaver chassidim.

As far as I can see I have not presented any judgment of Breslav. I have not announced I will prove they are kofrim c.v. I haven't said, "I have in my hands a list of documents that will prove that they are secret Christians" I simply said that I want to extend the range of discussion. Most of the material is Breslav in its own publicly available words. I will also be presenting criticism of Breslav - something they have had - especially from other chasidim from the very beginning. This blog is not kindergarten nor is it a kiruv seminar that tries to white wash material for delicate souls. It is not the Yated or other publication which is trying to present the party line. It is for mature adults who want to deepen their understanding of how real Jews have and are struggling with the best way to serve G-d in the real world. I am not interested in polemics.

So why is our distinguished commentator calling this a witch trial? I have been living with this problem for many years since starting work on volume I of Daas Torah. There is a fear that if the masses (which includes most talmidei chachamim) become aware of the real thoughts and writings of the different approaches to Judaism it will cause confusion and upset. Therefore it has become dogma that all religious Jews think alike - with minor insignificant variations. I will be posting the view of the Novominsker Rebbe (head of the Agudah and a recognized world leader) who supports the common wisdom - that people shouldn't know about these things. There is also an article by Rav Schwab that we should only talk about historical events if they inspire us. That which upsets us or causes us to think critical thoughts should be suppressed. Consequently most of us are the Klausenberger's mindless fish flopping around after their heads have been cut off. This is the policy of the so-called emuna peshuta which is viewed as the ideal by many (though not by most gedolim including the Baal Shem Tov).

I was told the following in the name of Rav Hutner. There is the well known story about the bed of Sedom (also known as the Procrustean bed). If a visitor to Sedom was too short he was stretched and if he was too big for the bed his legs were cut off. Rav Hutner said, "We have such a bed in the frum world. The difference is that if someone doesn't fit his head is cut off."

If anyone is uncomfortable about being exposed to material that they were unaware of - the solution is simply to stop reading this blog. On the other hand if anyone has evidence that I am distorting or fabricating views or not presenting the material in an impartial manner - please speak up.

The following is a selection from Daas Torah I page 38 which presents my guiding philosophy.

Rav Binyamin Silber(Otzair Gedolei Yisroel): By means of the study and analysis of the range of [legitimate Orthodox] approaches it will aid—G‑d willing—in fulfilling the words of the prophet Malachi (3:16), Then the religious people will speak to each other. The prophet is commanding in G‑d’s name that in the Messianic Era that the barriers be removed between the different religious factions and their different ways of serving G‑d and consequently they will communicate fully with each other. In view of the anticipated full communication, it is not surprising that there is in this era—immediately preceding the Messianic Era—an increased problem of internal splits and divisions between religious Jews supposedly for the sake of Heaven. Even if we are only lacking in this ability to communicate [without heated disputes] that itself is indicative of divisions and factionalism. Therefore, [to aid in achieving this full communication] it is important to be aware of the variety of legitimate approaches and therefore it is good to gather them together…. Rav Yisroel Salanter said, “There is no general rule how to serve G-d properly and this rule is also not an absolute rule.” This is because the majority of distinctions and differences are a function of the place and time and thus it cannot be said one approach is “the approach”…[Therefore] In this generation—standing at the very end of exile—there is a greatly increased desire to create divisions. Consequently, we must strive to minimize the barriers to communications to fulfill the words of the prophet [Malachi (3:16), Then the religious people will speak to each other.]

הרב בנימין יהושע זילבר (הסכמה לספר אוצרות גדולי ישראל לר' משה צוריאל תש"ס): ...בתי מדרשות [הרמב"ם, מהר"ל, הגר"א, הנצי"ב ועוד] הללו של מוסר היו בשיטותיהם השונות. ע"י הלימוד והעיון בשיטות השונות יתקיים בעז"הדברי הנביא מלאכי: "אז נדברו יראי ד' איש אל רעהו" "נדברו" לשון נפעל. ציווה הנביא בשם ד' כי באחרית הימים צריך שיתעלמו המחיצות בין יראי ד' השונים עם השקפותיהם ודעותיהם השונות בעבודות ד' וממילא יתקיים "אז נדברו". לאור כל זה אין פלא מה שדוקא בתקופתנו תקופת אחרית הימים נתגבר יצר הפילוג בין יראי ד', הכל "לשם שמים" כביכול. אם חסר ה"נדברו" זה גופא הוכחה על הפירוד והפילוג. ולכן טוב שיבואו יחד כל השיטות.... מוסירם בשם הגאון ר' ישראל סלנטור צז"ל שאין כלל בעבודת ד', וכלל זה גם כן אינו כלל. כי רוב ההבדלים בשיטות קשורים עם נסיבות המקום והזמן, ואין שייך לומר על איזו שהיא דרך ושיטה "כזה ראה וקדש". ...אבל בדור הזה שאנו עומדים בסוף הגלות ממש, שיצר הפירוד מתגבר, יש להשתדל לכל הפחות למעט המחיצות, שיקוים "אז נדברו יראי ד' "

Breslov III - Secret Breslov view of Moshiach - finally deciphered

Haaretz reported:

Messiah in all but name

by Immanuel Etkes

"Megilat starim: hazono hamishikhi hasodi shel reb nachman mibratslav" ("Scroll of Secrets: The Hidden Messianic Vision of R. Nachman of Bratslav") by Zvi Mark, Bar-Ilan University, 253 pages, NIS 99

The tension between the urge to reveal and publicize secrets, and the necessity of keeping them secret and concealed from the public eye is one of the dominant features of mysticism in general and Jewish mysticism in particular. In early Hasidism, there is nothing that embodied this tension more than the character and spiritual legacy of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810).

As Zvi Mark, author of "Scroll of Secrets: The Hidden Messianic Vision of R. Nachman of Bratslav," writes: "Secrecy plays a central role in the world of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav ... We know of one manuscript that Rabbi Nachman hid away, another that he burned, and tales that he forbade his disciples to reveal to outsiders." But it was the secret of redemption that he worked hardest to keep from the world, including most of his followers. [...]

While the prolific literature of the Bratslavers was influenced by the very existence of this scroll and allusions to what it says, the scroll itself has been a closely guarded secret for 200 years. Mark's impressive achievement starts with convincing the Bratslavers to show him the secret text and to allow him to publish it. No less impressive is his ability to recruit knowledgeable individuals to help him decode the scroll, which is written in enigmatic abbreviations and acronyms. The text is now presented in Mark's book, along with a detailed analysis of the messianic era as envisioned by Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. [...]

Mark's first important conclusion is that the Messiah referred to in the scroll is a tzaddik (pious scholar) in Rabbi Nachman's own image. The messianic times portrayed here are "a perfect fulfillment of the Bratslav code of values." Indeed, Rabbi Nachman's personal messianic pretensions emerge loud and clear from various remarks attributed to him in his lifetime, particularly the statement that "everything the Messiah does for the benefit of the Jewish people, I can do, too. The difference is that the Messiah can carry out his mission ... whereas I do not yet have that capability."

Rabbi Nachman regarded himself as having all the necessary qualifications to be the Messiah. What kept him from fulfilling his messianic potential was a lack of recognition. The tremendous gap between his self-image and the public's failure to recognize his eminence was something that haunted Rabbi Nachman all his life. In his own eyes, he was not only the greatest tzaddik of his day, but the greatest tzaddik of all times. Even when his health deteriorated and he knew the end was near, he did not despair: He might not fulfill his messianic mission in his lifetime, but his teachings would continue to have influence after his death. "My fire will burn until the coming of the Messiah," he poetically put it.

As Mark points out, this statement was interpreted by his followers as more than a prophecy. It was a will and testament that they were obligated to fulfill. Another Rabbi Nachman saying that fueled the messianic mindset of his followers was "the whole world will be Bratslav one day." Recognition of Rabbi Nachman's supremacy and the importance of his message and messianic redemption are thus two sides of the same coin.[...]