העורך Editor

Sorry Antinomians, This Story About the Chafetz Chaim Proves Nothing!

“On the return from a convention in which many Torah sages participated, the train made stops in several towns, whose Jewish communities came out to greet the gedolim. The Chafetz Chaim, however, in his profound humility, never went on the train platform to meet the people. Rav Meir Shapiro of Lublin, although he was a young man, boldly approached the elderly sage. ‘Why aren’t you going out to meet the people?’ he asked. The Chafetz Chaim answered, ‘Why should I go out? What is it that they want to see? I don’t have horns on my head. It is because they have this idea about me that I am a tzaddik (righteous), and if I go out to them, I am making a statement about myself that I am someone special.’ Rav Meir Shapiro asked, ‘And what is wrong with making such a statement?’ The Chafetz Chaim said, ‘What do you mean ‘what is wrong?’ It is ga’avah(arrogance).’ Rav Meir Shapiro said, ‘And if it is ga’avah, so what?’ The Chafetz Chaim said, ‘Ga’avahis a terrible aveirah (sin).’ Rav Meir Shapiro said, ‘And what happens if one does an aveirah?’

“The Chafetz Chaim said, ‘Why, for an aveirah one will be punished in Gehenom (hell).’ Rav Meir Shapiro said, ‘Throngs of Jews will have pleasure from seeing you. Aren’t you willing to accept some punishment in order to give Jews pleasure?’

“From then on, every time the train pulled into a station, the Chafetz Chaim was the first one on the platform to meet the people.”

Quoted here.

Can you see why?

Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum’s World Is Unimaginable

Although many Jewish renegades once fanned the flame of Zionism, imagining it to be opposed to their hated Judaism, and many nominally loyal Jews opposed Zionism in the same belief, those non-observant Jews who opposed Zionism were usually simply more clear-sighted, not less irreligious.

Today, it is hard to find many Jews of lapsed observance, who are, nonetheless, antizionist because of residual piety. And yet, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum thought the “Final” redemption would come solely to, and partially in the merit of, this rare bird, even rarer today than in his own time. He says so in several places.

Here from the Hebrew summary of his Shalosh Seudos talk on Parshas Balak, year 5727, p. 45:

והנה המלך המשיח יכניס התעוררות תשובה אפי’ לפשוטי העם, אותן שעכ”פ הלכו בדרך התוה”ק ובאמונה פשוטה ולא הן כרוכים אחרי המינים ואפיקורסים וכולם יזכו אז לתשובה שלימה והכל יהי’ בעבור שמו הגדול שיהא שמו שלם.

The quote sounds like it could be referring only to somewhat observant Jews, or to those denying various other heresies, but if you check within, you will find my summary accurate. I don’t have the energy to type it all up, especially the verbatim Yiddish.