ב"ה ערש"ק פרשת כי תשא תשע"ה

“Radicals, Rebels, & Rabblerousers”: 3 Unusual Rabbis #3 - Rabbi Menachem Nachum Friedman of Itscan [Stefanesht; 1879 - 1933]***

jrosenfeld@lss.org ____ 

  

1. Yated Ne’eman, Rosh Hashana 2001; Shabbat supplement, 31

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***All sources and some translations originally cited in chapter 6, “How Times Have Changed”: The World of R. Menahem Nahum Friedman of Itscan, in: David Assaf, Untold Tales of the Hasidim [Brandeis: 2010]; pp. 175-204. My initial exposure to the fascinating and sui generis Itscaner was sparked by this excellent and accessible scholarly work. Most, but not all, of the Itscaner’s seforim may be downloaded for free at Hebrewbooks.org, and printed.

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2. Assaf, p. 176

3. R. Menachem Nachum Friedman of Itscan, Divrei Menachem; p. 148

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4. R. Friedman, untitled; in: K’vutzei Efrayim (Seini) 5, nos. 7-8 (Tevet-Shevat 1926); pp. 49-53

Only that they will demand a religion of priests with a staff and whip in their hands, and an

explosive zealotry, to impose religion over the people as through the power of an inquisition,

with the old code: ‘the ends justify the means’, and with blood, fire, and pillars of smoke, and

with anger and callousness… they wish to force religion upon people as a gigit

People make a major mistake when they think that the scientific enlightenment comes to

destroy religion, only the Hofnis and Phineas’ in every generation who use religion as a means

towards some debased goal, the Yoels and the Aviyahs in the generation who receive graft and

bribes and pervert justice - the Torah is in their eyes only to do business with and as they wrap

their sins in a talit of the fear of Heaven, it is actually they who have destroyed and torn religion

asunder.

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5. R. Friedman, Peirush Man al Pirkei Avot; introduction, pp. 13-14

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6. R. Friedman, Al ha-Emet ve’ha-Sheker; p. 21

If you were somehow able to escape the ‘tree’ of heresy, then no doubt you will become

ensnared in the second ‘tree’, that of superfluous and spurious beliefs; immediately, he begins

to speak with him and prattle, and to exaggerate the trait of faith and he says: ‘my son! you

must believe, just believe in everything… perhaps this thing is also true… maybe… why should

you stick your head between these two edifices and be a seeker of knowledge, a researcher.

You might follow your understandings and your wisdom toward negativity - rather it is upon

you to believe with closed eyes. Until he becomes like the type {of cultish (= min)?} believer

upon whom the wise King said: “a fool will believe in anything”.

7. ibid, pp. 23-24

…

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8. ibid, p. 29

Diplomacy is an artform of perverting, and circumventing the norms, twisting them with all

kinds of sophistry, the wisdom of diplomacy is as poisonous as a snake. Flattery, duplicity, and

lies, allowing falsehood to rule the world. The wise and distinguished French statesman,

[Charles Maurice de] Talleyrand once said: ‘the aim of speech is to hide thought’, and the result of this putrid wisdom, that is to say, diplomacy, is what our eyes see [WWI]. 

 

9. ibid, pp. 31-32

יען צרות אחיו העניים אינן צרתו׳ דלותם של אלה אינה נוגעת לו. הוא השבע אינו מאמין להרעב. וכל עיניו רק לגופו לצרכיו ולמותרותיו ובכל זאת ישתחוו לפני׳ ויאמרו לפניו

שקרים וחנופות מגדולתו ומנדבנותו ואם יבא עשיר־ זה בין תלמידי־חכמים ויאמר לפניהם איזה פטפוט תורה שאין בה לא טעם וריח׳ אז כל הת"ח היושבים שם משקרים ואומרים "מתוק מדבש״ ״כפתור ופרח״ וכן אם עגל זהב זה יבא לאיזה אספה צבורית ואומר שם שטותים והבלים המעוררים געל־נפש. בכל זאת כולם ימחאו־כף וקוראים הידד! וכן אם בין חסידים אנשי מעשה כביכול הוא יבא גם הם ידברו אתו חלקות קוראים אותו -"רבי״ ואם שמו יוסף או משה אז מוסיפים לו ״לה״ בסופו וקוראים לו - ר׳ יום"לי - ר ׳ מש"הלה

אף כי הם מכירים אותו שהוא עם־הארץ אדם גס ועל עבירות שעבר בלילה שהיו מהרהר בהן ביום ודאי לא עשה תשובה׳

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Because the troubles of his poverty-stricken brothers is not his troubles, their dire state does

not impact upon him. He who is full cannot fathom hunger. His only focus is his own needs and

luxuries, and despite all this, they bow before him, and they will say in front of him lies,

flattering his greatness and philanthropy; and if this rich man comes amongst a group of Torah

scholars, and says before them some pithy Torah, which has neither ta’am or reiach [=

sweetness or meaning], then all the scholars around him declare: “sweeter than honey!”, “like

a lock and key!”, and so if this ‘golden calf’ comes to some community gathering and says some

vacuous stupidity there which arouses disgust, nevertheless everyone will dutifully clap hands

and call out ‘hurrah’!

10. R. Friedman, Al ha-Yofi; p. 7 (trans. + commentary, Assaf)

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11. Assaf, p. 193, 201

…

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12. R. Friedman, untitled; in: K’vutzei Efrayim (Seini) 5, nos. 7-8 (Tevet-Shevat 1926); p. 52

Our Rabbis expounded to say “and you shall love Hashem” - that the Name of Heaven should

be loved on your account, that one should call out and teach and that one’s dealings with

people be done in congeniality; just as people say ‘praiseworthy is his father that taught him

Torah’... ‘X who learned Torah - see how pleasing and upright are his ways, and on this it is

written: “Israel, amongst whom I am glorified”.

- Eulogy of R. Friedman, by Avraham Kahana (‘Avrech’), Masot al Sofrim ve-Anshei Shem ve-Divrei Hasidut [Pshemyshl: 1934]; 21-22

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