The Matzav Shmoooze: Did They Forget Rav Aharon’s Yahrtzeit?

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rav-aharon-kotlerDear readers,

I’ll keep this brief, but I’ll try to make my point clearly.

I have often read comments on this site criticism Matzav for not covering this or that event of a particular Jewish group or community. There seems to always be someone out there ready to jump on this website or really any site or publication for not covering this or that event, especially when it comes to particular communities. It is like there is an unofficial police watchdog making sure that proper coverage is given to certain goings-on.

At the same time, I am somewhat surprised that no one expressed an outcry that, to my knowledge, Matzav was the only site to even recognize the yahrtzeit of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, the great Lakewood rosh yeshiva, earlier this week. Where were all the “policemen” who are always out there making sure that the chareidi websites are covering the events they deem worthy of coverage? Why weren’t they getting on the case of every website that didn’t properly mention the yahrtzeit of clearly one of the greatest Torah builders on the American scene in the last century? Where was the homage paid to the person largely responsible for the Torah world we see today in North America?

I never quite understand this double standard. Certain specific Chareidi news media, especially those catering to the yeshivishe velt and to a certain extent the chassidishe velt, are scrutinized when they don’t mention certain events or yahrtzeits, yet everyone else gets a free pass for totally ignoring the yahrtzeits of some of the greatest gedolim, such as Rav Aharon Kotler. Basically, the attitude seems to be, “You better mention us, but we can ignore you altogether.” Get my drift?

Can someone please explain this to me?

What’s the Story

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The Matzav Shmoooze is a regular feature on Matzav.com that allows all readers to share a thought or analysis, long or short, one sentence or several paragraphs long, on any topic, for readers to mull over and comment on. Email submissions to [email protected].

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25 COMMENTS

  1. If you’re talking about the messianics, then, well, why would you expect them to mention Rav Ahron ZT”L? They call all sorts of terrible names since he sounded the alarm, way back, on the messianics (This itself speaks volumes of his greatness, how he saw clearly where it was headed and tackled it head-on)

  2. great point.
    it’s an old story.
    when matzav doesn’t mention every Lubavitcher happening or have articles on Lubavitcher Rebbe’s yahrtzeit, the world goes nuts. But somehow th yahrtzeits of Rav Moshe, Rav Yaakov, Rav Aharon Kotler and every gadol can be ignored by everyone and it’s not a problem, right?
    this letter is right on target
    we know what it’s all about

  3. Reb Yid writing the letter, you’re preaching to the choir here. Most people reading this site are bnei Torah, Litvish or Chassidish, who know exactly what you’re talking about. This is an old problem, where we have to be goreis whatever they do and give it credence and give it attention, but everything important to us can be ignored like we don’t exist. It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic.
    Most of them laughably would probably not even know who Rav Aharon is as crazy as that sounds.
    We live in a sick world. Nothing more, nothing less.
    Don’t lose sleep. Just remember there are all of us out there like you who get sickened by this double standard all the time.

  4. Here’s my take:

    R Aharon Kotler is crying from heaven every time his name is even uttered on the internet ,regardless of the website. He wants nothing to do with the “world wide web”.

    Lubavitch on the other hand belongs on the internet. Rightly or wrongly ,they are into harnessing technology for their purposes.

    Alteh Bucher

  5. BS”D

    In response to most of these comments: If you feel something should get more coverage – that’s one thing, but to call an asifa of people who do great work a “Carnival” you only reflect poorly on YOUR Ahavas Yisrael.

    If one would be intellectually honest perhaps one of the reasons it didn’t get as much coverage as it so richly deserves is because one Petira was decades before the other – yet BOTH are obviously reverential figures.

    We all really need to watch what we say and be positive – because the tone of the comments here are actually frighteningly the opposite of positive.

  6. Both deserve Kovod and recognition. I agree with #9 – the comments here need a different tone.

  7. one minor detail was overlooked:
    I don’t know which “lubavitch” websites you are talking about, but the ones I look at are not claiming to bring news about all jewish groups events, gedolim’s yahrzeiten and the like. crownheights.info gives news of going-ons in crown heights and here and there some world chabad news, collive.com is bringing news of shluchim and chabad mosdos etc.
    Matzav and some others bring news about ALL frum groups, calls itself the online voice of Torah Jewry (no less), and brings news about all different circles. The exclusion of Lubavitch on such a website shows their intent clearly.
    Rav Ahron doesn’t need to be mentioned on chabad websites, his greatness is obviously not dependent on it.
    Chabad, the Rebbe and his Shluchim, don’t need to be mentioned on Matzav, his and their greatness are obviously not dependent on it.
    Those who complain about such things are bored souls, who should better learn some words of Torah instead.

  8. The Yeshivah in Lakewood and how that area has turned into a haven of yidden involved in Torah, is probably a constant testimony to the accomplishments of Maran Hagaon Rav Aharon ZT”L.

    Will an article on Matzav on the Gaon’s yartzeit, change that which is (s0) open to the public to bare witness!!!!!

  9. Were do your cronies daven or eat kosher
    in Mumbai or Tokyo?
    Don’t you take advantage of the services offered by the carnival paticipants?

  10. As R’Hutner put it.
    Why was/is Lubavitch so good at PR/propaganda?because they were the last ones who were left in Russia with the communists.

  11. #22,

    old chabad story, make up quotes and attribute them to Gedolim.

    What Rav Hutner ZT”L did say is: “Gut, zai hube ‘chochma, bina v’daas’ uber, vue is der sechel?” They have “chochma bina and daas” (exclusively, so they claim) but what about sechel?!

  12. I wonder why Matzav has obsessive-compulsive disorder concerning yahrzeits. Matzav seems to think that a Jew should spend the majority of his time worrying about whose yahrzeit it is today.

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