More From Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein

Luke Ford has a report (including audio) of a panel of rabbis responding to challenges to Orthodoxy from Dennis Prager. Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein was one of these rabbis, and Luke has assembled a few choice quotes for us. [I added the numbers for clarity.]:

1. Rabbi Adlerstein: “The real purpose of this gathering is to arm ourselves to be better ambassadors for Torah.”

2. “What the vast majority of people want is assurance. They want to know that they are not being fools.”

3. “At the end of our long galus [dispersion], we don’t always have the tools we had in previous generations. In the nineteenth century, when Biblical Criticism was a threat to the community, we had some of the chief gedolim such as the Malbim who dropped parts of their career and threw themselves into answering the questions of early Biblical Criticism.

4. “We are hard-pressed to find people at the top of the pantheon of Torah leadership today throwing themselves into the arena of exploring some of the challenges, such as science…”

5. “There are some people (mockers, skeptics) you don’t engage with.”…

Let's take these in order:

1. Try being ambassadors for truth. Refuse to lie or to stand by when other rabbis lie. Refuse to cover up for your rabbinic friends. Fight for truth and fairness. The Torah doesn't need your ambassadorship. Truth does.
2. You've been fools for years now. The Indian hair wig ban, the Rabbi Slifkin ban, the stealing and fraud, the abuse coverups – if rabbis do not want to be viewed as fools, stop acting like fools.
3. If the Malbim lived today, your gedolim would ban him just as they banned Rabbi Slifkin.
4. Think Slifkin ban. Could that be why? Hello?
5. What you really mean is you avoid those of us who refuse to honor you and who issue strong challenges. You do this because you have no answers. You also have no balls.

That clear enough for you, Rabbi A and friends?

Comments

Shmarya, in your opinion, who was the last true gadol?

[Shmarya]

It depends how the term is defined.

Who do you feel was the last gadol you would have followed? Or who do you feel was the last gadol to lead the jewish people like a leader should?

[Shmarya]

Define his role and leadership.

And when I say gadol, I mean any well known, religious jewish leader in the past.

like the Rambam, Vilna Goan, Chasam Sofer etc.

[MO MAN]

Certainly not glib Adlerstein and his boss Marvy (bones) Hier.

[MO MAN]

From UOJ:

"Israel Singer was HONORED by the Agudath Israel dinner last year. Forced to pay back money he took under "questionable" circumstances from the WJC, he is not permitted to involve himself in any financial affairs of the WJC. Agudah saw fit to honor this thief, and facilitator of everything the Moetzes prohibited regarding interfaith dialogue."

Rot in hell, Shafran, Zweibel, Perlow & co.

UOJ
-----------------------------------

From the Yated....
"Here is a report written by a YCT student on March 27, 2006 about an event that took place at YCT’s campus in Manhattan.

Today, as part of a World Jewish Congress led-delegation, around 30 bishops and two cardinals came to our school.

The events began with an opening speech by Israel Singer,

followed by a speech by Rabbi Avi Weiss, then one by our rosh hayeshiva, Rabbi Dov Linzer, after which, we broke up into small groups and did some text studying of Berakhos 26b, where there is a discussion of the establishing of prayer. After about 45 minutes of that, there were, again, a couple of little speeches, then Cardinal Lustiger spoke for a little bit, followed by a question and answer sequence, which was ended by lunch. Lunch, however, rather than ending the event, allowed for mingling among the students and bishops to talk. One point that was emphasized was that, although Vatican II has been around for forty years, it has only been in the last twenty that Catholic-Jewish relations have really been progressing.”

[Shmendrik]

You ranting idiot. Rabbi Adlerstein strongly defended Slifkin (he wrote the blurb on the back of one of the books), if I recall. He has never backed down from this position. So what the hell are you talking about?

[avrohom]

dear shmendrick, don't bother with this pathological hater of yidden and yiddishkeyt. He loves the anmials but hates observant jews; he "loves" anytone who is not jewish but hates jews who believe in Hashem of Yisroel and His Torah; he commended the expulsion of thousands of jews and he crticiticizes the expellees; you wonder that all he does is one thing: criticiZe every frummre yid; whether or not thatperson holds of some his views, not important, as long as he is an observant jew this antisemite will go after him no matter what.

SCOTTY CONVERT ALREADY TO YOUR NEW RELIGION AND WE WILL ALL BENTCH SHEHECHIYONOO

[Itzhak Schier]

Sadly, I would also say that the most honest thing for Shmarya to do would be to close this blog with an announcement that he has disassociated himself from "Orthodox Judaism". As it is, he is not doing anyone a service with his misguided ranting.

As successful as Chabad and other communities are in attracting young Jews back to Avinu Shebashamayim, we are not in a perfect world, and there will always be failures of the system like Shmarya.

Maybe he made a mistake and should have chosen a more eclectic and less community standards oriented path than Chabad; maybe he just never found anyone to really serve as a role model, or maybe he was looking for perfection in an imperfect world, but it is clear he really has not found his place in Torah Judaism, and it would be best for him and for everyone else if he just left, even temporarily.

Best of luck to you in your search for truth, Shmarya. Many of us have found it in Torah Judaism, though, and you do yourself a big disservice by bashing what others have held dear since the beginnings of our existence as a people while apparently going through the motions of observance. Of course, Hashem is always here for you, and if you have not found the correct messenger to explain His ways to you, there is always time. It took me a while too, including separation from the community followed by physical relocation away from a place where the culture just didn't match for me, but I know that Torah is the truth even if the occasional naval birshus hatorah happens to cross paths with me.

Gut Shabbos,

Itzhak Schier

[Astute]

Shmarya, Rabbi Adlerstein is one of Rabbi Slifkin's staunchest supporters. He was one of the few people to openly speak up in support of R' Slifkin. What he said in this presentation included a veiled critique of the charedi leadership. Your problem is that you have no idea how one can be more effective by being respectful instead of ranting like an obsessed lunatic.

"Marvy (bones) Hier"
bones?