Rav Chaim Yisroel Shapiro, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Shaarei Torah in Bnei Brak and a son of Rav Yudel Shapiro zt”l of Kollel Chazon Ish, during a hesped he recently delivered at Kollel Chazon Ish in Bnei Brak in memory of Rav Chaim Treitel zt”l, issued strong remarks regarding divisions and disagreements in Klal Yisroel.
Rav Shapiro spoke strongly, stressing that people can learn a lot from all Torah leaders, even if a person is a follower of one or another.
He attacked those who expose their children to the scourge of machlokes.
“Do not be mistaken,” he said at one point. “I am a talmid of the two elders… I do not understand why it is contradiction to learn from the greatest of Klal Yisroel….As the Tanna teaches, who is one who is wise? One who learns from everyone. This is the greatest wisdom.”
He then addressed dragging children into machlokes: “We must talk about corrupting children, and I do not mean one particular side [of a machklokes] but all sides. When children grow up like that, heaven forbid, it is not chinuch, and it manifests itself later, because when a child hears his parents speaking against rabbonim, then when the child grows up, he feels, ‘Who says that the rov you hold of is right?’ From that point, it is a short path to the destruction of the Torah.”
He later said, “You can say, ‘I’m acting as my rov says,’ but in no way may you speak against a second rov. The situation has become so terrible that we need separate educational establishments for various sides. Why?! Because people talk against rabbonim. If everyone would just respect each other, they could live in peace and joy. ”
Rav Shapiro referred to years ago, when “during elections in the country, the Satmar Rebbe and Rav Aaron Kotler traveled to Eretz Yisroel to instruct people what to do about the election. They spoke to each other in friendship, and when they came to Israel, the Satmar Rebbe turned to his disciples and warned them not to participate in elections, while Rav Aharon told his disciples that they have an obligation to participate in the elections.
“This is not a problem, and it does not hurt our friendships with others. Gedolim can be divided on very fundamental and basic issues, with each one having his own method, but it has nothing to do with machlokes. It’s not a reason for machlokes.”
One who speaks against another group is “from the adas Korach mamish,” he said.
David Steger – Matzav.com Israel
Listen to your rabbi.
I wish there were more like this Odom Godol in Klal Yisroel Moshiach would be here,
he is from the silent majority,