On Leshon Hara', Cover-up, Corruption and Lies and damn lies
The Hafetz Haiim Ztz'l, took, as I've said, an obscure issur of Leshon Hara' and made it (or his followers made it) into almost the 14th 'Iqar that the Ramba"m has failed to add into his famous 13 ‘Iqarim.
Rav Shim'on Schwabb Ztz"l, brought that issur into a morale high (or low, as we shall see) by disallowing writing Jewish histories. It is important to note that R' Schwabb probably did not invent that notion; he just formulated what used to be and is getting worse, trend of cover-up in the Frum community. The possibility of a schanda in the family that could taint this family and adversely affect its members’ chances of marrying into the respected circles lead families to cover-ups, at least in the Ashkenazi communities. These cover-ups were formulated into almost a Pesak and sanctioned by R' Schwabb.
Both the Hafetz Haiim and R' Schwabb were true Tzadikim and I do not suspect their sincerity. However, they may have never encountered true misbehavior in their midst. Maybe this offspring became a secularist and went to regular college, maybe another one (even worse) just became a Modern Orthodox and went to Yeshiva University or such alike, but all are decent people.
This is unfortunately not the case when we talk about R’ Moshe Feinstein Ztz”l. We know now that some of his offspring proved to be quite corrupted and sick individuals. Now, I do not believe that R’ Moshe would cover-up for such behavior but he would certainly do something would he know about it. Or… as the leader of the generation he should have known but he did not, or did he? You see, once we allow a sanctioned cover-up and the story eventually surfaces because the problem cannot be covered up forever, we are in a much worse situation.
Now, Moshe one son of the Alter Rebbe of Haba”d R’ Schneur Zalman Mi-Liadi was Mishtamed (converted to Christianity.) He suffered from mental illness since childhood and was probably entrapped by some poles, but he converted nevertheless as was proven lately from official Russian governments documents. For several generations there was only cover-up and attempts to end the story in some miraculous Hazara Bi-Tshuva and Galut, but there was no direct lie about the facts. This has changed in the time of the Riet”z (the father in law of the late [and last] Lubavich Rebbe.) He’s already published a version of the story that denied any conversion and therefore was a sheer and straight lie.
One may wonder were could that succession of corrupting trend stop, and I say that there is no way to stop the slippery slope. The next step is already being performed by publishers of Halakhic works. If the publisher believes that the esteemed Rabbi, who wrote the original Halakhic work, could not or should not have said what he’d said, then the said publisher feels free to change the words of that Rabbi. Well, unfortunately such a deed is already touching the truth of the Halakha itself. We are already in the stage in which the Halakha itself is being corrupted by both lying about it and by our inability to know the truth! We are beyond the stage of lies; we are in the stage of damn lies.
Rav Shim'on Schwabb Ztz"l, brought that issur into a morale high (or low, as we shall see) by disallowing writing Jewish histories. It is important to note that R' Schwabb probably did not invent that notion; he just formulated what used to be and is getting worse, trend of cover-up in the Frum community. The possibility of a schanda in the family that could taint this family and adversely affect its members’ chances of marrying into the respected circles lead families to cover-ups, at least in the Ashkenazi communities. These cover-ups were formulated into almost a Pesak and sanctioned by R' Schwabb.
Both the Hafetz Haiim and R' Schwabb were true Tzadikim and I do not suspect their sincerity. However, they may have never encountered true misbehavior in their midst. Maybe this offspring became a secularist and went to regular college, maybe another one (even worse) just became a Modern Orthodox and went to Yeshiva University or such alike, but all are decent people.
This is unfortunately not the case when we talk about R’ Moshe Feinstein Ztz”l. We know now that some of his offspring proved to be quite corrupted and sick individuals. Now, I do not believe that R’ Moshe would cover-up for such behavior but he would certainly do something would he know about it. Or… as the leader of the generation he should have known but he did not, or did he? You see, once we allow a sanctioned cover-up and the story eventually surfaces because the problem cannot be covered up forever, we are in a much worse situation.
Now, Moshe one son of the Alter Rebbe of Haba”d R’ Schneur Zalman Mi-Liadi was Mishtamed (converted to Christianity.) He suffered from mental illness since childhood and was probably entrapped by some poles, but he converted nevertheless as was proven lately from official Russian governments documents. For several generations there was only cover-up and attempts to end the story in some miraculous Hazara Bi-Tshuva and Galut, but there was no direct lie about the facts. This has changed in the time of the Riet”z (the father in law of the late [and last] Lubavich Rebbe.) He’s already published a version of the story that denied any conversion and therefore was a sheer and straight lie.
One may wonder were could that succession of corrupting trend stop, and I say that there is no way to stop the slippery slope. The next step is already being performed by publishers of Halakhic works. If the publisher believes that the esteemed Rabbi, who wrote the original Halakhic work, could not or should not have said what he’d said, then the said publisher feels free to change the words of that Rabbi. Well, unfortunately such a deed is already touching the truth of the Halakha itself. We are already in the stage in which the Halakha itself is being corrupted by both lying about it and by our inability to know the truth! We are beyond the stage of lies; we are in the stage of damn lies.
posted by ZA at 10:03 אחה״צ
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