This was originaly posted as a comment.
Rabbi Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz zt"l on "TODAYS Gedolim" !
(including the lines at the end that UOJ conveniently edited out before taking my comment to his blog and posting it under his own name. at least i got to see first hand the Sheker and distortion that is the standard operating procedure of OUJ.)Are "TODAYS Gedolim" really Gedolim ?
Do you want to know what caliber leaders "TODAYS Gedolim" really are ?
Well, let me tell you what Rabbi Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz zt"l had to say about "TODAYS Gedolim".
In 1945, when Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky was living in Toronto, he was upset with himself that perhaps he was compromising the Torah education of his children by living in Toronto. This was more than sixty years ago, when Toronto did not have the significant Torah school infrastructure that it has today. Therefore, Rav Yaakov decided to move to New York. When he moved to New York, he accepted the request of Reb Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz zt"l and became the Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Torah Vodaath.
When Rav Yaakov came to Torah Vodaath he started giving shiur to the class formerly taught by Rav Reuven Grozovsky. The approach to saying a shiur of Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky was as different as day is from night from the approach of Rav Reuven Grozovsky. Rav Reuven used to get involved in intricate pilpul, building great infrastructures of Torah premises and complex logical arguments. It was challenging and stimulating and everybody loved it.
Rav Yaakov took over the class. He had a different approach. It goes without saying that he was a tremendous Gaon in his own right. But his pedagogic approach was one of simplicity and straight-forward interpretation of the Talmud and commentaries. It was not that one was a greater scholar or one was a lesser scholar, it was just a different approach. But Rav Yaakov's lectures did not have the pizzazz of the lectures delivered by Rav Reuven.
Slowly but surely the students started dropping out of Rav Yaakov's shiur. "I heard shiurim from Rav Reuven! I have to come to Rav Yaakov's shiur to hear Gemara, Rashi, and Tosofos?" Slowly but surely the enrollment in the shiur dwindled.
Rav Shraga Feivel Mendelovitch called the students into his office and said as follows: I want to ask you boys a question: It states in connection with Avraham Avinu "the souls which he made in Charan" [Bereshis 12:5]. We are told that he converted thousands and thousands of people to monotheism while he was still in Charan. But when the Jewish people went down to Egypt two generations later, their population numbered only 70 souls. What happened to the thousands and thousands of souls that were made in Charan?
Rav Shraga Feivel explained that what had happened was as follows: they had a great teacher named Avraham Avinu. He was a master of kindness. He used to feed people and give them a place to sleep. He was a 'nice guy'. The disciples loved Avraham Avinu. Avraham died. Yitzchak became the leader. Yitzchak had a different approach of Service to G-d. His approach was Fear of G-d, Judgment, an austere type of Service. The people said, "This is the great spiritual role model? This is the leader? This is the 'Gadol'? We remember Avraham Avinu! He was a leader. He was a Gadol. He knew how to take care of his disciples. Yitzchak is not my style. Not for me. This is not the Judaism I knew. They had enough of monotheism."
What happened to them? They lost it all. They did not have a teacher. They did not have a spiritual leader. They did not have a Rabbi. They kept on making comparisons and could not find anyone to measure up to Avraham. So they were left with nothing and they developed into nothing.
He told the students, "You have only the judge who is present in your days. Rav Reuven was Rav Reuven and Rav Yaakov is Rav Yaakov. Both these and these speak the word of the Living G-d." [Eruvin 13b] He warned them that to discount the new Rebbe because he had a different style than that of the previous teacher was the path of the "souls that Avraham made in Charan". The final chapter of those souls was not a happy chapter. Nothing ever became of them.
For this reason, Rashi needs to stress both in Parshas Shoftim and in Parshas Ki Savo that one must deal with the only judge or kohen that he has -- the ones who are there in his own day.
Now, had this lesson been taught to us by any other Godol, I would understand that there are those that would simply dismiss the message by attacking the Godol for just being one of "TODAYS Gedolim".
But this was said by Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz zt"l.
Reb Shraga Feivel was a genius of the soul who understood better than others that the command "Love Hashem, Your G-d" includes the command "Make him beloved to mankind".
From his great love of Klal Yisroel he devoted his days to bringing the Jewish people close to their Father in Heaven.
Indeed, Rav Shraga Feivel might very well be the ONE and ONLY Godol in the last 100 years to be accepted by EVERYBODY !
Giborim and Chaloshim, Resha'im and Tzadikim, Zaidim and Oiskei Soirasecha - whether you share Reb Shraga Feivel's exact vision or not - and whether you share Reb Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz's exact name or not - all agree that the Architect of Torah in America was a true Godol.
So I think it behooves all of us to take his message above to heart.I would like to point out that Reb Shraga Feivel taught us this lesson thru his praise of Reb Yaakov Kamenetsky zt"l.Note that one of Reb Yaakov's best, most outstanding, and closest Talmidim was Rav Yisroel Belsky Shlita.So while UOJ may have many despicable and disgusting descriptions to say and write about Rav Belsky, I would venture to say that if UOJ's illustrious Grandfather Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz zt"l was with us today he would describe Rav Belsky with just 4 simple words."YISROEL Asher Bi'cha Es'po'ar".How would Rav Shraga Feivel describe UOJ ?There are no words.
