A meeting took place yesterday in Agudath Yisrael headquarters in New York with members of the Moetzes gedolei HaTorah of Agudas yisrael of America. ( Photos
HERE)The meeting was a regular scheduled meeting. One of the issues brought up was the itinerary of the upcoming Yarchei Kallah of Agudah in Yerushalayim which was taking sides and getting involved in the machlokes of the Yeshiva world in Eretz Yisrael. Rav Aaron Shechter threatened to leave the Agudah Moetzes if the issue is not rectified and they dont remain neutral. The Agudah took the Rosh yeshiva very seriously and came to a solution which was enough for the Rosh Yeshiva to withdraw his resignation and keep things beshalom here in America. The details of the compronise were not publicezed. However organizers promised to keep it machlokes free and not invite one side over the other. The Rosh Yeshiva and other Moetzes members will keep a close eye and make sure that it will work out as promised and the organizers of the YK avoid getting involved and dragged in to the machlokes.
The pictures look like from the Chaim Berlin board room, not the Aguda office.
ReplyDeleteHas Rav Shmuel Auerbach been added back to the schedule? If not, then how exactly is Agudah not taking sides?
ReplyDeleteDaas torah blog http://daattorah.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteReb Ahron is concerned about a number of issues 1) the dispute in Israel between the followers of Rav Shteinman and Rav Auerbach 2) the fact that certain yeshivos and individuals have been destroyed or messed up as a result of this dispute 3) that it is no longer accepted in Israel that gedolim disagree and that it is legitimate to follow the gadol a person wants 4) the attempt of the Aguda and other American rabbis to take sides in the dispute - when traditionally American gedolim have stayed out of Israeli disputes of this nature 5) his health is not optimal and he doesn't want to squander it in dealing with disputes of this type.
Dear Chaverim,
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank the many many people who responded to my email of two weeks ago with such enthusiasm. My friends, a quiet movement was started where the participants of the Yarchei Kallah, and others, voiced their opinions and made their positions clear: We will not be a part of machlokes in any way!
As many of you know by now, this effort has borne fruit. The official position of the Yarchei Kallah no longer represents any hint of faction, but is again as it should be, a completely neutral endeavor, with only one goal, complete immersion in learning Torah for the days that we are zocheh to be in Eretz Yisrael.
I wish everyone a week of hatzlachah in their learning and real ruchniyus enjoyment!
***
Chaverim, I should really end here, but my heart pushes me to add one more word of chizuk:
As an organization we have baruch Hashem succeeded in remaining true to the mesorah of our Gedolim and we are steering clear of all machlokes. Let us be strong and keep to these ideals as individual participants as well.
We know that Eretz Yisrael has so much to offer us and teach us in great levels of ruchniyus, Torah and avodas Hashem – I don’t need to talk about something that all of us know and feel - the special atmosphere and experience of being in Eretz Yisrael.
But there is also a part of what is going on now in Eretz Yisrael that we must take care to avoid. Unfortunately, the choshuve Yidden in Eretz Yisrael are going through serious communal disagreements. As much as we may follow the news of Eretz Yisrael, we do not live there and cannot claim to fully understand the complexity of the situation. Above all, it is clearly not our place to take sides or judge either or both of them. We, as ovdei Hashem in America, must follow the way shown to us by our Torah leaders: to remain out of this kind of machlokes completely.
I fear that during our stay in Eretz Yisrael next week some of us may be approached by well-intentioned people seeking to elicit our support for one side or another. They may ask for financial support. They may seek our ideological support. Or they may simply attempt to steer us in one way or another by bringing us to visit only “their” Gedolim or spokesmen. Again, we do not judge them – they are doing what they can according to their understanding of their mesorah. But we have a mesorah too, and we may not relinquish it. And the path of our Gedolim has always been to remain above the fray in any machlokes among frum Jews.
Let each one of us go to Eretz Yisrael with firm resolve to be blind to any faction or machlokes, to open our hearts and revere all talmidei chachomim, all Gedolim, and all ovdei Hashem regardless of any outside circumstance, and close our ears to any talk of “affiliation,” “allegiance,” or “sides.”
And who knows if perhaps by tenaciously following the way of shalom as set out for us by the Gedolim of America, we may be bring down the berachah of shalom to all of Klal Yisrael!
למען אחי ורעי אדברה נא שלום בך!
Thank you so much for your attention to these words,
Ira Moskowitz
הפשרה שהושגה במועצג''ת בארה''ב.
ReplyDeleteסדר השתלשלות העניינים בסיפור עם ירחי כלה של אגודת ישראל בארה"ב המתקיים בירושלים.
כזכור בעשר שנים האחרונות מתקיים ע"י אגודת ישראל בארה"ב, ירחי כלה בירושלים.
בכל שנה היו מזמינים את מרן הגר"ש אויערבאך לדבר, ומשנה שעברה התחילה החצר בבני ברק להפעיל לחצים עצומים כדי שלא יזמינו את מרן הגר"ש. ואכן שנה שעברה לא הזמינו אותו.
השנה קם זקן ראשי הישיבות בארה"ב הגאון רבי אהרן שכטר והציב אולטימטום שאם אגוד"י בארה"ב תמשיך להתערב במחלוקת בארץ ישראל, ולצדד בצד אחד, הרי הוא פורש ממועצת גדולי התורה, בתחילת השבוע שעבר היה נראה שאגודת ישראל בארה"ב לא תענה לבקשתו, ואכן הוא הודיע על התפטרותו, הדבר גרם זעזוע רב באגוד"י, במיוחד כשהיה ברור שאם הוא פורש זה יצור תגובת שרשרת, ויגרום לחברים נוספים לפרוש.
באגודת ישראל ארה"ב נכנסו ללחץ והבטיחו ליישב את ההדורים, ולהפסיק לנקוט צד במחלוקת באר"י, ולכן בא הגר"א שכטר לכינוס מועצת גדולי התורה.
בישיבת המועצת תקפו חלק נכבד מחברי המועצת את עסקני אגודת ישראל, והגר"מ קוטלר שאל את העסקנים כיצד במקרה לראשונה לא הוזמן הגר"א אריאלי למסור שיעור לפני באי הירחי כלה, למרות שבכל השנים הקודמות הוא היה מראשי המדברים, ורבים מבאי הירחי כלה הינם תלמידיו או הורים וחמים של תלמידיו, אין זאת אמר הגר"מ קוטלר שזה בגלל שהוא ר"ל התערב והציל את ישיבת תפארת התלמוד ברישום בשנה שעברה.
המכה בפטיש היה שהובאו לפני חברי המועצת חומרים רבים מהשנה שעברה, ואחד מחברי המועצת אף שלף צילומים מהמודעות שהיו תלויות על דלתו של מ. י. שניידר הגבאי והחברותא של הגראי"ל, שם נכתב כביכול בשם הגר"ח שבישולי אנשי בני תורה הינם בישולי עכו"ם ושמותר לבזות את מרן הגר"ש אויערבאך, ועוד פנינים שונים ומטורפים.
הדבר גרם לזעזוע רב של כל הנוכחים הרבנים והעסקנים, והוחלט פה אחד שלא להתערב יותר במחלוקת וודאי שלא לצדד בצד המנפיק הוראות משונות והזויות כאלה.
Nu, so what was the resoultion?
ReplyDeleteIs Rav Shmuel Auerbach back on the program?
Is Rav Asher Arieli back on the program?
I heard the Agudah was not involved and did not take sides at all. There is one individual in charge of the yarchei kallah and he decided on his own to fan the flames of machlokes and take sides. The moetzes is very upset at him.
DeleteWere so happy that this is over and Horav Aron Shlit'a is still in. Otherwise 'DaatTorah.blogspot.com' would of taken over (in the name of Rav Shternbuch as he claims his entire blog represents).
ReplyDeleteWheh. Boruch HaShem.