Not the sheltered, yeshivish version of reality you grew up with…

Lemaaseh, the situation today is fairly straightforward. Rav Shternbuch has one known tallis katan with Techeiles—the pair prepared for him by Rav Yechezkel Toporovitch—and he wears it sometimes. At his present advanced age, however, he is dependent on others to bring him his tzitzis in the morning. His son Rav Chaim Ozer wears Techeiles and is supportive of his father wearing it, while another son, Rav Osher, is opposed. In practical terms, which pair Rav Shternbuch wears on a given morning can depend upon which son is getting his tzitzis for him that day.

The important distinction is that Rav Shternbuch’s personal practice should not be confused with a public psak that others should wear Techeiles. His earlier opposition clearly softened after he looked into the issue further, he obtained a Techeiles tallis katan of his own, and he has worn it on numerous occasions. Nevertheless, he has not instructed others to wear it and has even continued, at least at one stage, to say that doing so was not advisable.

In short: Rav Moshe Shternbuch has a tallis katan with Techeiles from Rav Yechezkel Toporovitch (who happens to have also been born in Great Britain like R’ Shternbuch, having lived there for eight years), wears it sometimes, and is no longer opposed to Techeiles as he once was—but he has not told others that they should wear it.

Source

Why Is Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein Supporting Himself?!

Rabbi Adlerstein is running for Knesset on the “HaTzibur HaHaredi” list (AKA למען אחיי מפלגת כלל ישראל). He disclosed this on October 1.

So how can he also be endorsing the list as a disinterested member of their “rabbinic council”?! אדם קרוב אצל עצמו. Even he should know that.

 The letter of support says:

‘על כן אנו מחזקים את ידיך ואת ידי שותפיך לדרך, אשר באומץ לב וברוח נדיבה קיבלתם על עצמכם לשאת בעול ולגשת אל המלאכה. עלו והצליחו בדרככם זו, וקדשו שם שמים בעולם.

בהערכה רבה ובהוקרה, חברי ועדת הרבנים שעל יד מפלגת ״הציבור החרדי״’

Har har.

Find letter below (from here), published October 10:

View or Download the PDF / פתח או הורד את הקובץ

The Human Hatred of Change

A poem:

Flexibility

This morning when I was pursuing
Just one of my many routines,
My son asked why I wasn’t doing
That task by a whole other means.

I pondered his concept’s adoption,
And quickly saw it wouldn’t do,
Not owing to flaws in the option,
But since it would mean something new.

End.

Problem is, when the natural tendency morphs into Hashkafa, then change becomes almost impossible.