Q&A: I’d be glad if you’d share your opinion on Dov Halbertal’s criticism
I’d be glad if you’d share your opinion on Dov Halbertal’s criticism
Question
https://mobile.srugim.co.il/article/742475?amp=1
He talks there about his pain that in Yeshivat Har Etzion they celebrate the 19th of Kislev at Binyanei HaUma, and as every ordinary Lithuanian-style yeshiva Jew knows (like Dov Halbertal and you; not me—blessed is He who has not made me a Litvak), any religious emotion raises a suspicion of idolatry. I’d be glad for your response to his column (it reminded me a lot of your style in posts, especially the notorious post about Meron).
Answer
I was asked about this on WhatsApp. My opinion about Hasidism in general is well known, and about Chabad in particular I have written that it is a cult. As for his remarks, I also think these celebrations are ridiculous. In the category of “a festival invented for themselves by the members of that cult,” and the weak-minded and bored join them because, after all, there’s finally a reason to celebrate. Nicer than studying something serious. But some of his arguments are silly. Chabad is really not anti-intellectual in the yeshiva-learning sense. I also don’t think this is bankruptcy, just a problematic phenomenon, part of the attraction to spirituality and New Age. And finally, in my impression, serious Talmudic learning is in decline in all yeshivot, including the Haredi ones. More generally, unfortunately, the intellect has been losing some of its luster in recent years in favor of experience. That is why Hasidic and Chabad missionary activity has been succeeding in recent years, and it’s a shame.
Discussion on Answer
An impression. It hasn’t lost its depth of learning; rather, more and more people don’t find it spiritually satisfying and are looking for other things too. The progress beyond Rabbi Chaim and Rabbi Shimon is also part of the issue (except that this part is welcome in my opinion as well).
Here is a response by Rabbi Amnon Bazak: https://www.srugim.co.il/742789-%d7%a0%d7%99%d7%a1%d7%99%d7%95%d7%9f-%d7%97%d7%9e%d7%95%d7%a8-%d7%9c%d7%94%d7%a4%d7%95%d7%9a-%d7%90%d7%aa-%d7%94%d7%a8%d7%91-%d7%9c%d7%99%d7%9b%d7%98%d7%a0%d7%a9%d7%98%d7%99%d7%99%d7%9f-%d7%9c
I don’t understand where the impression comes from that the yeshiva world has lost its depth of learning. From what I know, over the last twenty years the yeshiva world has developed far beyond the paradigms created by Rabbi Chaim and Rabbi Shimon Shkop (though since there are far too many boys, of course lots of them are just parroting things).