Parshas Ki Tisa

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Date:
February 17 2022
Length:
1h 26min 42s
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931
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Series: Daily Shiur

Venue: YU Wilf Campus YU Wilf Campus

Parsha:
Ki Tisa 

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    Anonymous: 
    1. Title: Isreal
      Author: Six Hundred Thirteen
      Reply
      I listened to your Shiur on parshas Ki Sisa where you questioned the Satmar Rav for saying that the Shoah came as a punishment for the aveirah of zionism. If I may, I would like to share my thoughts on all the points you mentioned. 1) You asked why Satmar Rav did not allow people to move to Eretz Yisroel while the Villna Goan and the Baal Shem Tov's talmidim moved to Eretz Yisroel in the early 1800. I was really shocked to hear this.. Didn't Satmar Rav allow people to move to E.Y? Didn't he himself move to Israel after WW2 with the intention to live there. Did he ever prohibit a small group of ppl to move there, if their yearning and sole goal is to do the mistvos in the holy land? Satmar Rav was saying that Klal Yisroel is not allowed to move there with the goal of having their own land and this is against the sholosh shvuos! Did Talmidim of Villna Goan and the Baal Shem Tov went with the goal to establish a Jewish sovereignty in Israel ?? To ridicule and mock the holy Satmar Rov zatzal as if he created a blanket ban for all generations in all circumstances to move to Israel was very shocking to hear, especially from a prominent Rov and posek who definitely knows what the Mishna says in Avos "והוי זהיר בגחלתן שלא תכוה, שנשיכתן נשיכת שועל, ועקיצתן עקיצת עקרב, ולחישתן לחישת שרף, וכל דבריהם כגחלי אש". You sure know that Rav Hutner zl called the Satmar rov "The last lion", referencing Noach's severe punishment being bitten for delaying food for the lion in the Teiva, because he wasn't respectful enough to "the last lion". The Satmar rov was considered a Gadol even by his most fierce opponents, and needless to say he was entitled to his opinion. Whether or not one agrees with his opinion it does not give them the right to do public mockery about it. Besides for the fact that anyone who read a little bit about Satmar rov knows that from a very young age he had a very strong love and yearning for Eretz Yisrael, he even made the hard trip back in 1932 and spent the summer there. His love and yearning to visit Eretz Israel is also notable in numerous letters of his. His opposition was obviously against aliyah propaganda and for those who conflated true love and appreciation for Eretz Israel with natiolistic zionism. 2) You stated that Rashi is the one that already said why the Shoa came. It doesn't have to be due to the aveirahs of that particular Dor. If so, may I ask why did Reb Yosof Yavats make a chibur Ohr H'chaim to explain why the Spanish inquisition came for? Why did the Tosfos Yom Tov make Hshbuos to figure out why gezeires Tach v'Tat came? Rashi isn't trying to say that future gezirahs will be only because of the Eigel. But rather that every gezirah will have some of the chet haegel. However, Rashi also agrees that one is allowed and should find contemporary averos as reasons for the gezirah. Satmar rov in v'Yoel Moshe quotes from many seforim precisely this point. 3) You also speculated that the Satmar Rav may have taken his stance from the Munkatcher Rav who only knew to yell and curse everybody. First of all the disparaging language on a Gadol hador was very disturbing to listen to. Additionally, the Satmar rov was his contemporary, was much calmer with his statements, and generally did not conform to Minkatcher Rov albeit they had a close relationship. But this notion that this stance was limited to the Minkather Rov and Satmar Rov couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, the vast majority of Hungarian and Galician gedolim shared this very same view, as it's well documented. In addition to many more true Gedolei yisrael worldwide. 4) You said that Satmar Rav's stance is against all rishonim and acharonim who are of the opinion that there is at least a big inyan to live in Eretz Yisroel. To clarify this, you may want to look into V'Yoel Moshe mamar beis and see a big list of rishonim and acharonim who are limiting under which circumstances one should move there and when it's rather to stay where you are in Chutz La'aretz, not too many people fit in their criteria. Even the Ramban's grandson, the Rashbash, after bringing his grandfather's shitah, he writes that for klal yisroel as a whole to go to E. Y. is against the shvuah and his grandfather shitah is applicable just for a yuchid. Finally, the ridiculing of Satmar rov's opinion that the shoah came as punishment for the sin of Zionism and the laughing how this was the biggest trangession of all the 613 mitzvos was totally unwarranted. In fact the only place we see in chazal such a severe punishment as אני מתיר את בשרכם, is for the transgression of the sholosh shvuos. The shoah was the epitome of אני מתיר את בשרכם, and was unfortunately nothing short of it. So Satmar Rov writes that he's simply pointing to the obvious reason chazal gives for such severe punishments. (Needless to say that no one would dare ridiculing chazal for making the transgression of the three shvuas the biggest sin of all 613) And as a by the way, your Rabbi, Rav Soloveitchik's grandfather Reb Chaim, told for Reb Avrum Chayim Dubar Levin's (AKA the Malach) son Refuel, that one should rather give money to a church than give it to the keren kayemes since this is avoidah zurah and zionism is minos. I would appreciate it if you can get back to me with your thoughts on this
    2. Title: Isreal
      Author: Six Hundred Thirteen
      Reply
      I listened to your Shiur on parshas Ki Sisa where you questioned the Satmar Rav for saying that the Shoah came as a punishment for the aveirah of zionism. If I may, I would like to share my thoughts on all the points you mentioned. 1) You asked why Satmar Rav did not allow people to move to Eretz Yisroel while the Villna Goan and the Baal Shem Tov's talmidim moved to Eretz Yisroel in the early 1800. I was really shocked to hear this.. Didn't Satmar Rav allow people to move to E.Y? Didn't he himself move to Israel after WW2 with the intention to live there. Did he ever prohibit a small group of ppl to move there, if their yearning and sole goal is to do the mistvos in the holy land? Satmar Rav was saying that Klal Yisroel is not allowed to move there with the goal of having their own land and this is against the sholosh shvuos! Did Talmidim of Villna Goan and the Baal Shem Tov went with the goal to establish a Jewish sovereignty in Israel ?? To ridicule and mock the holy Satmar Rov zatzal as if he created a blanket ban for all generations in all circumstances to move to Israel was very shocking to hear, especially from a prominent Rov and posek who definitely knows what the Mishna says in Avos "והוי זהיר בגחלתן שלא תכוה, שנשיכתן נשיכת שועל, ועקיצתן עקיצת עקרב, ולחישתן לחישת שרף, וכל דבריהם כגחלי אש". You sure know that Rav Hutner zl called the Satmar rov "The last lion", referencing Noach's severe punishment being bitten for delaying food for the lion in the Teiva, because he wasn't respectful enough to "the last lion". The Satmar rov was considered a Gadol even by his most fierce opponents, and needless to say he was entitled to his opinion. Whether or not one agrees with his opinion it does not give them the right to do public mockery about it. Besides for the fact that anyone who read a little bit about Satmar rov knows that from a very young age he had a very strong love and yearning for Eretz Yisrael, he even made the hard trip back in 1932 and spent the summer there. His love and yearning to visit Eretz Israel is also notable in numerous letters of his. His opposition was obviously against aliyah propaganda and for those who conflated true love and appreciation for Eretz Israel with natiolistic zionism. 2) You stated that Rashi is the one that already said why the Shoa came. It doesn't have to be due to the aveirahs of that particular Dor. If so, may I ask why did Reb Yosof Yavats make a chibur Ohr H'chaim to explain why the Spanish inquisition came for? Why did the Tosfos Yom Tov make Hshbuos to figure out why gezeires Tach v'Tat came? Rashi isn't trying to say that future gezirahs will be only because of the Eigel. But rather that every gezirah will have some of the chet haegel. However, Rashi also agrees that one is allowed and should find contemporary averos as reasons for the gezirah. Satmar rov in v'Yoel Moshe quotes from many seforim precisely this point. 3) You also speculated that the Satmar Rav may have taken his stance from the Munkatcher Rav who only knew to yell and curse everybody. First of all the disparaging language on a Gadol hador was very disturbing to listen to. Additionally, the Satmar rov was his contemporary, was much calmer with his statements, and generally did not conform to Minkatcher Rov albeit they had a close relationship. But this notion that this stance was limited to the Minkather Rov and Satmar Rov couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, the vast majority of Hungarian and Galician gedolim shared this very same view, as it's well documented. In addition to many more true Gedolei yisrael worldwide. 4) You said that Satmar Rav's stance is against all rishonim and acharonim who are of the opinion that there is at least a big inyan to live in Eretz Yisroel. To clarify this, you may want to look into V'Yoel Moshe mamar beis and see a big list of rishonim and acharonim who are limiting under which circumstances one should move there and when it's rather to stay where you are in Chutz La'aretz, not too many people fit in their criteria. Even the Ramban's grandson, the Rashbash, after bringing his grandfather's shitah, he writes that for klal yisroel as a whole to go to E. Y. is against the shvuah and his grandfather shitah is applicable just for a yuchid. Finally, the ridiculing of Satmar rov's opinion that the shoah came as punishment for the sin of Zionism and the laughing how this was the biggest trangession of all the 613 mitzvos was totally unwarranted. In fact the only place we see in chazal such a severe punishment as אני מתיר את בשרכם, is for the transgression of the sholosh shvuos. The shoah was the epitome of אני מתיר את בשרכם, and was unfortunately nothing short of it. So Satmar Rov writes that he's simply pointing to the obvious reason chazal gives for such severe punishments. (Needless to say that no one would dare ridiculing chazal for making the transgression of the three shvuas the biggest sin of all 613) And as a by the way, your Rabbi, Rav Soloveitchik's grandfather Reb Chaim, told for Reb Avrum Chayim Dubar Levin's (AKA the Malach) son Refuel, that one should rather give money to a church than give it to the keren kayemes since this is avoidah zurah and zionism is minos. I would appreciate it if you can get back to me with your thoughts on this

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