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| Achdus Shtreimel |
Just when you would think they cant reach a new low they keep on surprising you. Forget about their silly op-ed today to the Novominsker Rebbe and Agudah, for a second. Following the media circus around the drasha of the Novominsker Rebbe shlita at the Agudah Dinner they reached out to a fellow "Blogger" giving him a platform to issue his two cents on the Rebbes remarks. This is not a person in any position of leadership except for the fact that he has a blog. The website who usually rarely give the title of Rabbi to many Rabbonim and gedolim went out of their way to call this blogger with the title of "Rabbi" as if hes someone who has a right to give his opinion to the masses. That he is someone to be reckoned with. (yes he has semicha, but thats not the point). A blog that dosent miss the opportunity to publicize the shortfalls and ills of frum yidden a blog that constantly criticizes Rabbonim, admorim and Roshei yeshiva- that is who this anonymous run website goes to for an opinion.
It happens to be that this time he agreed with the words of the Novominsker rebbe, so what? does that mean anything that he agrees with the rebbe? who is he to agree? who is he to disagree? Bloggers became the leasders of klal yisrael? well it must be so if this website considers bloggers to have a deah.
Today they issued an op ed to the agudah that they are not doing enough about children that are going off the derech. WHO ARE THEY TO TELL THE RABBONIM WHAT TO DO. Let them look in the mirror first and stop with the constant chilul hashem and lashon hora, stop with the bizuy talmidei chachomim, stop with making fun of kol davar shebikduah, stop giving a platform to the haters of Torah, stop the sinas chinom, stop the non tzniusdik ads, try to be marbeh kavod shamayim not minimize it.
Oh your laughing out loud and wondering who am I to lecture them?? exactly that's my point!
Oh God, ENOUGH of this. When I read both sides of this 'debate', I can't help but conjure up an image of two petulant children verbally sparring: "DID NOT!" "DID TOO!" "DID NOT!" "DID TOO!" "DIDN'T!" "DID" etc. Sheesh. Enough, children. BOTH of you.
ReplyDelete> WHO ARE THEY TO TELL THE RABBONIM WHAT TO DO.
ReplyDeleteWell since you asked, "they" are the laiety that the rabbonim teach. They are the sheep the shepherds watch over. They are the billpayers the rabbonim and yeshivos live off of. If you're ask suggesting that all Orthodoxy should consist of is a small group of rabbonim saying "Shut up, do as your told and give us your tzedakah"and a large group of baalei batim saying "Yes sir, Daas Torah sir, we dare not think for ourselves, sir" then you've disenfrachising a lot of yirei shamayim.
Granel,
ReplyDeleteTrust me, the VIN op-ed writers do not speak to nor listen to Rabbonim nor do they give a plug nickel to tzedakah or support any Yeshivos or Rabbonim.
I tend to be with MGI WRT Daas Torah issues. IMHO it has a valid basis but it's been elevated in the past generation way out of proportion to anything that can be found in classic sources.
ReplyDeleteFrom my perspective the problem with a site like VIN - beyond disagreeing with their views on various issues, as might be the case with any site - is not that they don't consult daas Torah before they open their mouths, but that their name is misleading, and tends to present a false view of representing charedi opinion on things. In reality, the management appears to be MO (ideologically if not practically) as do most of the commentors.
This has 2 ramifications. 1) in that people have a tendency to be influenced by the consensus of other people in the society around them, and VIN presents a misleading picture of that consensus. And 2) that outsiders look to blogs like this as a window into what the charedi viewpoint is, and present a picture which is not accurate and which looks like a society far more torn by internal self-doubt and dissention than is actually the case.
Ironically, one reason for this type of problem is the campaign by rabbonim against the internet. As a result, there are very few charedi internet outlets - especially ones that are open for discussions of issues - and relatively few charedi commentors, and the vacuum is filled by sites like VIN.
[ISTM that VIN was originally more RW in orientation and moved sharply to the left at around the same time that there was a public campaign against it by various rabbonim/askonim (I believe there are still signs against VIN specifically hanging in BMG). So I suspect that there may have been a change in management in response to that campaign, or if not that, then at any rate it's likely that by being cast out of the machaneh, the management was emboldened to go "all the way" (ala Slifkin et al).]
FP,
ReplyDeleteVIN was very much anti rabonnim long before the notice was posted about it. Then it toned itself down for a while and now they have shown their ugly side again.