Jewish Folklore 11

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (1839-1933) was, by all accounts, a man of piety, humility and of the highest ethics. He is universally know as Chafetz Chaim, after the name of one of his books on ethics, especially the avoidance of slander and gossip. Orphaned from his father at ten, his mother moved to Vilna, where he became steeped in the Lithuanian Yeshiva tradition. At seventeen, he married his stepsister, and settled in the Polish town of Radin (now in Belarus). At first, he was the official rabbi of the town, but soon resigned in order to found his own Yeshiva, which became world-famous. He was deeply troubled by problems within the Jewish community, primarily the laxity in the area of forbidden speech, but also about what he perceived to be the threat of Zionism. As to the first problem, he wrote extensively about its severity, often greatly exaggerated its legal parameters, in order to eradicate this evil from our midst completely. As to the second, he chose not to get involved in a politically divisive fight, but privately warned his disciples and colleagues against the Zionist leadership and its ideology, with its aims of making a secular state and uprooting Torah. He was first and foremost known as an ethicist, but also as a keen scholar. The last decades of his life were devoted primarily to a legal work, Mishnah Berurah (Clear Teaching). Like the Aruch HaShulchan, it is on the surface a restatement of halachah, bringing it up to date. But the comparison ends there. First of all, unlike the Aruch HaShulchan, which covers all areas of Jewish life that exist in the absence of the Temple, the Mishnah Berurah only covers the first part of the Shulchan Aruch, dealing with prayer, everyday rituals, and holidays. Many, including yours truly, feel that this was a great mistake, as it put other areas into the background (marriage, divorce, business ethics, and much more). Many rabbis see it as the ultimate culmination of all halachic writings, perfect in every way. Others are very critical of the work. Some are ambivalent. When I studied Scribal law with a prominent Monsey rabbi, the "jumping off" text was Mishnah Berurah. The rabbi praised the Chafetz Chaim with every kind of superlative. Yet, that did not stop him from pointing out the numerous misquotes, faulty logic, clear misunderstandings of earlier sources, footnotes that had little to do with what had been said, on virtually every page. It became clear to me, and I later learned that many others had arrived at the same conclusion, that the work was primarily designed to establish the primacy of the Lithuanian tradition over heresies related to the "Enlightenment", as well as Hasidic tradition, which he considered a deviation from true Judaism. For example, in discussing the shapes of the letters used in scribal writing, he describes the standard Ashkenazi writing in great detail. He totally disregards the Hasidic script, except by means of barbs like "what I have described is the right way, don't consider what some others do". He mentions Sepharadic writing twice, each time saying it is mistaken and invalid. Before we judge him too harshly, however, let us bear in mind that he was trying to preserve a way of life that was being threatened. Now we can, perhaps, understand the switch in the 1950s away from Aruch HaShulchan, in favor of Mishnah Berurah. The Aruch HaShulchan reexamined issues and practices, often urging change (based on sources). But, many felt, twentieth-century Judaism was already changing too much. The Mishnah Berurah urged stability and caution. Nineteenth-century Lithuania had finally gotten everything right; don't mess around with it. The "Yeshiva World" has clung to this ever since (other than the Brisker tradition). In my opinion, like in most areas, the truth lies somewhere in between. Many aspects of late custom and folklore had now been codified, leaving little room for reevaluation. Those who challenge this approach, are often seen as deviating from THE Tradition. The idea that there is only one tradition, is itself an innovation. May HaShem guide us with His truth.