Why would the Rabbi have a positive opinion about something like that? He disqualifies things far less stupid. Shvantzism is a new trend that says you should cling completely to the rebbe and nullify yourself before him in an extreme way, even if people mock you, etc. “Shvantzes” (= tails) of the rebbe.

So the rebbe said some phrase and even managed to string a few words together that got set to music (a “song”), and that becomes a “method”?
And in any case, what is there to ask? If you’re a shvantz, you don’t ask, and if you’re asking, then you’re not a shvantz. Blessed be He who has separated us from them and from their idols.

I too, the small and insignificant one, join the protests against the above idolatry.

It is a “method” in every sense, and it has been explained in homilies and pamphlets published by its followers.

Attached is the rebbe’s sermon from about three weeks ago. The whole sermon is in Yiddish, but to get the idea you can read the introduction the Hasidim wrote in Hebrew, and the footnotes they added in the margins:

Click to access 1_5010656551438909545.pdf

Here are some examples:
From the introduction: “Our holy rabbi, may his merit protect us, in his abundant mercy and kindness has privileged us and brought us to take shelter in the holy shade of our master, our Rebbe, pure and holy, may he live long, who to fleshly eyes presents himself outwardly as an ignoramus, as one who speaks vile things, as one occupied with nonsense, as one who indulges his body in all the luxuries of this world, as one corrupted in his traits and sunk up to his neck in the impurity of honor, jealousy, and arrogance. And here comes the decisive stage, in which no books of Hasidism will help one attain pure faith, none of the other holy means will help one grasp the horns of the altar, and only one single path remains to us: the Shvantz Method!!!
A true Hasid knows that what appears to his physical eyes is not the truth. In his faith he shuts his eyes and does not let the facts confuse him. He goes ‘head first into the wall,’ knowing that he is walking the path of truth and uprightness, and that someone is holding his hand and leading him safely to his desired destination—so why should he himself open his physical and limited eyes to look around and reflect??? More than that: a true shvantz knows that a rebbe is a rebbe even if he is not great in Torah, even if he does not guard his bodily organs, even if he has not corrected his character traits, and even if he behaves against explicit Jewish law in the Shulchan Arukh or against Jewish custom. He knows that attachment and loyalty to a true righteous man must be unconditional, without reason, like love that does not depend on anything.”

Footnote: “Our holy rabbi, may he live long, reveals here that his war is not against actions or even against false opinions, but against the root hidden deep down—namely the impurity of arrogance and honor. This explains why he speaks about himself in terms of pride, for by this the pride of all the Hasidim is subdued, because why should a creature formed from matter preen itself with arrogance, when pride and greatness belong solely to the holy rebbe.”

“Another innovation in the holy conduct: not to listen to the troubles of our fellow followers or to what weighs on their hearts. And even though our holy rabbis throughout the generations did not act this way, who is greater for us than our holy master Rabbi Shach, of blessed memory, who is our guide in the last generation, and from him they shall see and do likewise—not to listen to the troubles of the community if it does not interest the leader and ruler.”

“Our holy rabbi, may he live long, testifies about himself with lofty testimony that this trait of being a leader and ruler is his essential nature, meaning that not only did he labor and toil over it to attain the desired perfection, but he was already holy from the womb, and from his youth he could not bear being subordinate to others, but was born to be a leader and ruler.”

“Our holy rabbi, may he live long, speaks in his holy way, for these meals are held after the morning prayer at around 9:00 a.m. in the U.S., that is, 4:00 p.m. in the Holy Land. And that is usually the time when he is about to pray the morning prayer (except on days when he does not pray at all).”

“Even though he is in the middle of Barukh She’amar, in his holy room our holy rabbi, may he live long, can speak on the phone, because as is known his conduct before the public is not like his conduct in private chambers. For only in public does he try to behave according to Torah in order to strengthen faith. And this matter is publicly known, and who can come after the king?”

With God’s help, 29 Tammuz 5778

To Aharon — greetings,

The pamphlet you brought appears on its face to be a parody intended to mock Rabbi M. M. Hager and present him as an ignoramus, corrupt in his traits, and violating Jewish law; presumably it was written by his rivals and not by his followers.

The matter of faith in sages and accepting their guidance even when one does not understand their reasoning is not an innovation of Hasidism, for one of the acquisitions of Torah is “faith in sages,” and Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook already explained in his talks on the chapter “Acquiring Torah” that this is why “faith in sages” is juxtaposed to “acceptance of suffering”: sometimes the student suffers because he does not understand his rabbi’s conduct, and nevertheless he obeys out of “acceptance of the yoke.”

On the other hand, one of the acquisitions of Torah is “attendance upon sages,” which obligates the student to ask his rabbi about everything he does not understand, for only by asking and asking again will the student in time come to grasp the depth of his rabbi’s mind. And as Rabbi Yehuda Ibn Shoshan explained the Mishnah, “Be a tail to lions and not a head to foxes”: the fox lowers its head downward, whereas the lion raises its tail upward, and so the rabbi elevates his student until he merits to become one who makes his rabbi wiser.

And as for us, we follow the path of “Shvenziyanism,” in the footsteps of our rabbis, the founders of the Mizrachi movement, the geniuses Rabbi Yitzhak Yaakov Reines and Rabbi Moshe Avigdor Amiel, both natives of the holy community of Sventsyan. By their light we shall travel and go!

With blessings, Shvin Tziyan Lavinger

Shatzal,

You’re using a psychological defense mechanism. It’s hard for you to accept that Haredi Judaism can reach such places, so you reject the reliability of the quotations.

Did you open the link?
The Yiddish source (the rebbe’s own words) expresses the same ideas.
The source can’t be denied, because there are recordings of the sermon in which the rebbe can be heard saying these things exactly as written.

Beyond that, the style of this community is familiar and well known, and the spirit of the matter cannot be denied.

And regarding faith in sages:
I can accept the idea that sometimes the rebbe cannot be understood, and “faith” is needed. But in my view that is the second stage.
In the first stage, a person draws close to his rabbi, and then examines him and his ways. When he recognizes that the other person is greater than he is in wisdom, fear of Heaven, and good traits, then he accepts his guidance upon himself.
In the second stage, when the rebbe sometimes does something incomprehensible, the student can believe that the rebbe has intentions and purposes not visible to his eyes (and even that, only up to a certain point).
But there cannot be a situation in which a person is a “rebbe” only because his father was a “rebbe,” and he has never proved himself (in any special way) in Torah, in reverence, or in good deeds, and from the first moment he ascends the seat of leadership—everyone must “believe in him.” That does not seem logical to me.

(Although it’s hard to believe, maybe the questioner here is Rabbi Chaim Meir mentioned in the above pamphlet?)

With God’s help, 29 Tammuz 5778

To Aharon — greetings,

I opened the link and also read the introduction and the notes in Hebrew, and the impression from them is clear: the writers are trying to mock Rabbi M. M. Hager and present him as empty-headed, corrupt in his traits, violating Jewish law, throwing behind his back the path of the Baal Shem Tov and his father’s ways, and adopting conduct suited to “Yaar 2018,” etc. etc. One need not be a great philologist to understand immediately that this is satirical mockery produced by Rabbi M. M. Hager’s rivals, and therefore there is also reason to doubt the reliability of the Yiddish texts and compare them with the recordings, etc. etc.

Since I do not see myself writing a dissertation on the inheritance struggles in Vizhnitz, or producing a film on the subject (which would of course be called a Vizhnitz film 🙂 ), I had started to look into the topic. In the meantime I would note in passing that Rabbi M. M. was considered for years by his father to be the one designated to continue his leadership, and now I saw on Wikipedia that his brother Rabbi Yisrael, between whom there was a prolonged rivalry, recommended appointing his brother Rabbi M. M. as a member of Agudat Yisrael’s Council of Torah Sages, so it seems that he is not just a reed-slayer in the swamp. Likewise the gaon Rabbi Avraham David Horowitz, author of the responsa Kinyan Torah BeShmaita, who took him as a son-in-law for his daughter, apparently considered him a Torah scholar.

And regarding the principle, your words are certainly correct: in order to be a “tail to lions,” one must first clarify thoroughly that the rabbi is in the category of a “lion” in Torah, reverence, and good traits, as our sages said: “If the rabbi is like an angel of the Lord of Hosts, let them seek Torah from his mouth.”

With blessings, Sh. Tz. Lavinger

One of the weirdest ones we’ve had here. In any case, even if it weren’t parody (and Shatzal’s words are well said), there still isn’t some “method” here that one needs to ask about.

Whoever wrote “Reading Comprehension to Aharon” doesn’t know the Hasidic world. There, the rebbeship passes from father to son, and it doesn’t matter whether he is worthy or not. Rebbe Rabbi M. M. was marked to fill his father’s place only because there was no one else in his place. Only years later did they bring back the older son, because it was indeed fitting, since he really is ignorant and boorish and corrupt in his traits. His brother recommended him for the Council of the Great Hasidic rabbis because he pitied him, etc., so he included him, and these things are known.

Meanwhile, there is not a single major Hasidic leader who thinks highly of him or his path. He is rejected throughout the Hasidic world, and they are regarded as a bizarre sect.