By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com
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This January 26th, the 4th of Shvat will be the 57th yahrtzeit of the renowned Gaon Rav Yechiel Yaacov Weinberg zt”l. He came from Poland originally and was a student of both the Slabodka Yeshiva and the Mir Yeshiva in Poland. The future author of the Sridei Aish was, in fact, the Chevrusah of Rav Laizer Yudel, when he studied in Mir as a bochur in 1903. Indeed, the Alter of Slabodka himself had sent him together with his son so that he would have a suitable chevrusah.
When Rav Weinberg was 17, he went to study in the Slabodka yeshivah, where he became a chavrusa of Rav Naftali Amsterdam, the prime student of mussar- movement founder Rav Yisrael Salanter, and studied under the Alter of Slabodka, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel. In 1903, the Alter sent his son Rav Eliezer Yehudah to learn in Mir for five years, and sent Rav Weinberg, who was much younger, along so that his son would have a chavrusa.
Eventually became the Rosh Yeshiva of Rav Azriel Hildesheimer’s Yeshiva in Berlin. During the war, he went from Berlin to Warsaw, He passed away in 1966 at the age of 88. At his levaya, a controversy emerged – more on that after this brief introduction.
Rav Weinberg had survived the Churban of Europe, but the experience had left him both broken in health and shattered in spirit. Yet somehow and some way, he managed to continue in his remarkable Torah learning and published three volumes of the Sridei Aish in his lifetime (1961, 1962, and 1966). In it, he answered shailos from all over the world – where he lived in Switzerland. A fourth volume was published posthumously. “Sridei Aish” means Remnants of Fire – a reference to a lifetime of his Torah writings that were lost in the holocaust. Universally recognized as a halachic and Talmudic master, his knowledge was not limited to Torah, he was a master of all matters of history, Judaic studies, and secular knowledge as well.
He would often come to Warsaw, where he published his remarkable work entitled Lifrakim (Warsaw, 1936). When in Warsaw, he would daven at the Litvak shul at 39 Nalewki Street. Earlier in life he was knownas the Illuy of Czechanowic. Later he was the Rav of Pilwischki. He was also a university lecturer of Giessen, and the war-time president of the Agudas HaRabbanim of Warsaw. The last twenty years of his life he lived in Montreux, Switzerland.
It is interesting to note that his legacy has been claimed both by the Chareidi world as well as by the Mizrachi’ish world. Even at his levaya, there was an incident that reflected this dual claim for his legacy.
In his will, he had charged Mosha Shapira, a former talmid, and Zorach Warfartig, two ministers in the Israeli government with arranging for his burial in Eretz Yisroel. They had chosen a spot next to Rav Weinberger’s friend, Rav Chaim Herzog, the Chief Rabbi in the Sanhedria cemetery. However, Rav Yechezkel Sarna disagreed with their decision and felt that he should be buried in the Gedolim section in Har HaMenuchos. He sent a number of his students to divert the funeral and take him to Har HaMenuchos instead. Warfatig, wishing to avoid trouble, did not make more of a protest.
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In his famous letter, he beseeches Klal Yisroel to have the proper Humanly love and caring for all decent Non-Yidden. He writes, “Unfortunately, more than they hate us, we hate them.” He continues, sadly, “I have a pessimistic outlook for our future”.
He understood that the Creator actually wants us to have Sincere love for every decent Human Being.
Yanky – he was 100 % right when he said we hate the goyim more then they hate us.I f we want to be truly honest with ourselves we have to take a closer look on how we acted toward the non-Jew while we lived among during our long diaspora.
But who is willing today to be an honest historian?
The actual story at the Levaya is noticeably absent from this article.
Everyone screaming on “how we hate the goyim more then they hate us”. So here we go:
1- Our Chazal is full of derogatory things about the goyim – EX: You cannot walk behind them as they will kill you – You are not to give your animal to them as they will fornicate with it. – If a house fall in on Shabbos and you hear the child.- You are allowed to deliberately steal from a goy. Believe it or not all these are “sayings” in the Gemorah. There are about 42 other things, and the Gallochim in each generation knew exactly where these are and quoted the word for word. I imagine if others would say that about the JEW – you cannot let your daughter play in their house as they will force her, what would we think?? . This is baggage we carry along in our long golis. Why the Rabbe’s in the gemorah said this – I don’t know.
2 – Study history well and you will see how when we were the money lenders, we got together with the other Yidden in town, to set the interest rate. We were charging something like 20 – 40% interest. Now many have told me the goyim didn’t have to take the loan. Okay – See how happy you would be if all the big banks in America got together and hike up their interest rate to even 15%, saying you are not happy, don’t take the loan. What about the desperate and needy person??
Also keep in mind we robbed them blindly in the Kretchma’s (taverns) by getting the peasant drunk, and then claiming he gave then many more drinks then they actually took – look we even have his signature. The Yid who the goy worked for drinking was on his tab and then took it off his wages, The profit rate was 50-50 split. If there was only 1 ketchma in town the kretchma took a 60% cut. This was widespread in the pale of settlements. I have several din Torah’s between the kretchma and the owner. Think of it a Din Torah on how to rob the goyim!! and the rabbonim pasked! using the the fair rate etc. etc. This was wide spread in all kretchmas and yidden ran almost all of them.
Then we wonder why they hated us, and at the first opportunity they could, they did all kinds of atrocities to us. I am saying this to show “we got to be better”. We have to work and live in society as honest, caring people people. All I am arguing is I know there is haterd toward us, but we have to be honest with ourselves and take a closer look as what percent is it part way our fault.
Take a good look around today – how many of our charedi hoodwink but then are able to dress their kids to kill. With Covid things society want to do to try and stop the covid spread, however we know better! We have the honor of the only community in America that burned masks (Boro Park). how are we good citizens walking in lock step – when the rest of the country is trying to do something. Every shtick, Ex: of betting when old people are going to die to maximize a profit on a flaw in the insurance system, as the govt forces companies to keep a set rate, we were the main players in exploiting that. Don’t think these things are not noticed by the others round us in society.
You want to argue I am a self hating Jew, ,that is an easy out not to have to face reality. Look at our actions. We could and should do better!!
I think I read that Rav Sarna gave away his own plot to Rav Yechiel Yaacov Weinberg.
For a fascinating lecture on R weinbergs life listen to Rabbi pruzansky lecture on 20th century Rabbis on YUTorah.org fascinating
It’s important to note that while we must act kind and respect others even non jews, the yidden are still the am nevchor. We are still more beloved and more holy. yes we are better and closer to hashem.