Kikar is reporting that Rav Yitzchak Kolodetzky, the son in law of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, recently spoke in a shul in Bnei Braq about the topic of exile and redemption. In his shiur he said that the Chafetz Chaim famously "predicted" the eventual start of World War II. The Chafetz Chaim also famously predicted that there will be refuge in the land of Israel and the tyrant would not step foot in Israel. Despite being on his way to conquer the Land of Israel, we know Rommel's forces were turned back and the prediction came true. Rav Kolodetzky added that the Chafetz Chaim also said something else that is less known - that 50 years after the war that would break out the redemption would come.

According to a report on Haredim10, students went to the grave of Rav Shteinman at the conclusion of the shiva only to discover that the temporary headstone on the grave had been smashed and defaced.

I am not one to say every person, even if just every person in the Haredi community, has to follow one specific rav, gadol hador or not. You don't like this rav's approach, follow a different rav.

Destroying a headstone on a grave is not quite the same thing as not following a specific rav. You can disagree with the rav, you can dislike his approach on this or that matter. The greatest anti-semites in history have defaced and destroyed Jewish gravestones. Real haters destroy gravestones (whether Jewish or not).

One is allowed to disagree without turning it into hatred and vandalism and even anti-semitism. You don't like Rav Shteinman or wan to honor hsi memory - don't go visit his grave, don't learn in his memory, don't participate in events to commemorate his death... but don't destroy his grave . That is beyond the pale.

In his will, Rav Shteinman left a series of instructions for behavior and conduct to be followed after his death. The instructions are interesting and show the focus and humility of Rav Shteinman and are worth reading through if you can. I have posted the text of it below, taken from other news sources.

Among the instructions is included a command to not eulogize him, not before the funeral, not after, and not in any way using any other word for the gathering. As well, not to write articles about him in the newspapers and magazines, and not now, not in a week or in months, etc.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky was asked whether this needs to be adhered to or not. He was asked this question by private people and by representatives of the newspapers and magazines.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky replied that Rav Shteinman had written his will with tremendous humility and his family must adhere to his instructions. However, the rest of "klal yisrael" is obligated to show him the honor and respect due to the generations leader and everyone is obligated in his honor. We must increase the honor of torah and having such events and articles will increase the honor and increase "kvod shamayim". Rav Shteinman now will be very pleased with every bit of praise said about him.
source: Kikar

the debate seems to be is it considered honoring him by fulfilling his wishes and refraining from eulogies and articles, for example, or is it honoring him by ignoring his instructions and talking about his greatness in eulogies and articles? Rav Kanievsky paskened that the family is obligated by his instructions but the rest of us are obligated to honor him and singing his praises is the greater honor.


Rav Shteinman's will:

this Facebook post is about 3 years old, but in memory of Rav Shteinman who died this morning, it is worth posting now..

The chain of kollels in Israel led by Rabbi Weissbord has been in big trouble for a long time. They have not paid their avreichim for 10 months. Some kollels have closed, some avreichim have started to leave their kollels for other places.

I have no idea how [most] avriechim can manage to live without getting their meager salaries for so long. I don't think I could survive with my salary not being paid for ten months.

A week or so ago it was announced that Rav Shteinman helped bail Weissbord out and helped find a donor to cover all his debt and pay the avreichim what he owes. it was hailed in the Haredi media as a tremendous salvation and a miracle. There is even one story about how the donor pledged a million shekels but Rav Shteinman had them refuse it because someone on his level should be donating much more, so he upped his donation to 18 million.

My friend who is involved with this chain of kollels tells me that they were all expecting their money as they were told it was on the way. A day or two later they were told the money has been held up in the USA on suspicion of money laundering. This guy wired all the money (about $4,500,000) in one shot and it was stopped. With the US and money laundering, one never knows when, or if, it will ever be released. I have not seen this in the news anywhere - only praise for finding the donor.

Sure enough, it is only the avreichim who suffer over this.

My friend also tells me that the kollel is still in trouble because while this, even if the money ever gets released and comes through, will cover the debts from the past, they have no idea how he will pay their stipends in the coming months. He might go another ten months without paying and then have Rav Shteinman bail him out again, or maybe nobody will bail him out next time.

I don't have the answer as to what should be done. Maybe he should not be operating a chain of kollels if he cannot pay his avreichim. Maybe he should because the avreichim know the difficulty and are accepting that reality upon themselves. I am just bringing to light more of the story and giving the struggles of the avreichim some publicity.

We are davening and wishing, along with the tzibbur, for the health and recovery of Rav Shteinman who has been very ill over the past couple of days.

Yesterday Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin asked Ravv Chaim Kanievsky for a clarification on something he had said. Supposedly Rav Kanievsky had been quoted as having said that people could daven that Hashem should grant Rav Shteinman more years than what had originally been designated for him. Rav Sorotzkin asked Rav Kanievsky if he had really said that. The basis for such an allowance would be that Rav Shteinman is a public person, somebody needed by the community, rather than just being a private person.

Rav Kanievsky responded that he had indeed said that. Rav Sorotzkin then said this gives tremendous encouragement to the people. Rav Kanievsky's grandson explained to Rav Kanievsky what Rav Sorotzkin had said and explained that it gives great encouragement because Rav Shteinman is very old but we can still daven for him to have many more years - a long life.

Rav Kanievsky responded incredulously, "he is very old? Rebbe Preida lived to 400 years old!"
source: Kikar

I'd like to see that!

Ignoring everything else Rav Shteinman and others at the anti-academic-education-for-women rally said, as this topic has been discussed ad nauseum already... isn't the phrase Rav Shteinman coined - a pig in a shtreimel - just totally awesome?

I don't know how he came up with that, but I think that "pig in a shtreimel" must be the best expression I have heard from any rabbi in a very long time...

and funnily enough, a brief search on Google actually had a few images for this expression (which means it isn't really new, though I never heard it before)

I am not sure what the significance is but I enjoyed seeing their faces drop and not know what to do when they hear Rav Shteinman's answer to the question... Rav Shteinman is asked about emunas chachomim and he says there is no such thing nowadays and emunas chachomim is for the chachomim of the gemara and of the rishonim, not of today's chachomim...

A strange story was related regarding Rav Shteinman.

the story goes that when Rav Shteinman was a young man and went out on a shidduch date with his eventual wife, he wore a shmatta covering his eyes. When asked why he did this, Rav Shteinman supposedly answered that he was concerned that maybe the young woman he was going to meet would not want to marry him, and then he will have seen her for no reason and "impurified" his eyes for no purpose. He had decided that if she would say she wants to marry him, he would then remove the cover from his eyes and look at her momentarily, as he would be required to see his wife before marrying.
source: Kikar

I am not really sure what the purpose of this story is. Is it true? Is it not true? Is it hadracha - is this how we are supposed to act, or a level we are supposed to try to achieve? Is this just a story of something extraordinary by somebody extraordinary for us to admire but not really learn from on a practical level? I am not sure what the point is.

It does seem to be another moment in the hassidization of Litvishe rabbonim, though to be fair - the story was being told by a hassidishe rav.

Rav Shteinman is a great man, rav, leader. He doesn't need stories like this. They don't make him greater. If it really happened as it was told, I don't think this is one of those stories we need to know or are meant to learn anything from.

Here's an interesting psak from Rav Shteinman, as quoted by Rav Kolodetsky in the [DL affiliated] parsha sheet "Matzav Haruach"...

The psak was given in reference to a shul in Bnei Braq that used to be a Dati Leumi shul but was eventually taken over by the Haredi community. Haredi members of the shul asked Rav Shteinman what to do - must they continue saying the prayers for the State and for the IDF, along with the Yom Haatzmaut, Yom Yerushalayim and Yom Hazikaron prayers.

It seems that Rav Shteinman paskened that they must continue saying these tefillot so as not to abandon the minhagim of the place.

And, according to Rav Kolodetsky, the shul continues to say the various tefillot and the Haredi members invite people from the Bnei Akiva branch in Bnei Braq to lead the special services on Yom Haatzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim, and even participate in the traditional flag dance in the shul after davening and say hallel with them.

According to Rav Kolodetsky, the one thing they don't say is the prayer for the State. He explains that the original DL community itself had stopped saying this prayer in the wake of the Disengagement from Gaza.
source: Kooker

Rav Shteinman is being quoted as having said something that is supposedly unique (otherwise why is it of interest) regarding hetter mechira.

Bechadrei says that Rav Shteinman was recently asked if hetter mechira produce can be used to feed the poor. Supposedly Rav Shteinman's answer was that the hetter mechira produce must be thrown out into the garbage and not be used even to feed the poor.

I get that plenty of people hold hetter mechira produce cannot be eaten. It makes sense to me that if you hold that so strongly, even to the point where it is not just a chumra to avoid hetter mechira produce but you say the sale has no actual effectiveness, then you hold that hetter mechira produce cannot be eaten under any circumstances. Even to feed the poor.

That part of it is all fine by me, according to the opinion of Rav Shteinman. His position is consistent.

My question is that if you hold the hetter mechira does nothing, the sale is totally irrelevant and ineffective, then you must hold that the produce has kedusha - holiness of shmitta produce. It cannot be eaten, but it has kedusha. How could Rav Shteinman say the food cannot be eaten because the mechira was invalid while at the same time instructing the questioner to throw the produce in the garbage? Maybe he meant to wrap it in bags and dispose of it properly for kedusha produce?

Bechadrei is reporting on an interesting psak from Rav Shteinman.

Truth is, the psak is not really new, though it might be new from Rav Shteinman as a source for it. What is interesting about it is not the psak itself but how he explained it. To me it raises the possibility of an interesting discussion, or questions.

Rav Shteinman was asked about the validity of using someone who owns an iPhone for witnessing a wedding.

Supposedly, his answer was, that there are two different types of prohibitions one can violate that might invalidate him from being a witness; a prohibition that has the punishment of malkus, lashes, attached to it, and a prohibition that does not have lashes as a punishment.

A prohibition with lashes would invalidate the person from being a witness at a "d'oraisa" level, while a prohibition without lashes would invalidate him but only at a rabbinic level..

Rav Shteinman said that having an iPhone does not qualify one for lashes, so it only invalidates the bearer at a rabbinic level from being a witness.

Rav Shteinman also supposedly said two other points, and that is what I find most interesting.
1. while it is common for the rabbi officiating at a wedding to tell the witnesses to do tshuva right then in order to ensure they are kosher witnesses (in case they had done anything wrong in the past that might invalidate them), Rav Shteinman said they often do not actually do tshuva. Using such witnesses is a problem.
2. He commented on the expense of the iPhone, when they told him how much it costs. He compared it to an esrog and said in wonderment that it costs more than an esrog, and also expressed his surprise or anguish that people would pay so much money in order to sin! It is expensive to sin, but people will pay the price for that ability!

Regarding #1, it brings into question the entire practice of telling the witnesses to do tshuva. If they aren't doing it anyway, and we know that (or presume it), what's the point? And if we know they don't do tshuva anyway, how can we allow them to witness the wedding?

I guess in a situation where we, or he himself, are not actually aware of any specific violation that would invalidate, it is a "just in case" situation, so we can proceed even without tshuva. If he owns an iPhone, or if we know specifically about a different violation, it is no longer "just in case" and we would require actual tshuva.

Regarding #2, it is an interesting way to put it. The difference is that the esrog is for just a week, and for only a short amount of time each day during that week, while the iPhone you pay a lot of money for because you want it to be enough quality that it will last you a year or two or three, and survive your nearly constant usage for many hours of each day during that time. Many things cost a lot of money, more than an esrog, and there are reasons why they cost a lot (supply and demand, the costs of development and marketing, etc) and why people will pay those prices.

Also, most people are not buying the iPhone in order to sin. They are buying it in order to use as a communication device, and the sinning is inadvertent (if you say the iPhone itself is a sin, or else in the way he uses it afterwards). So saying for an averia someone will pay x while for a mitzva he will only pay y, is like comparing apples and oranges, or iphones and esrogs.

Regarding the actual psak, the interesting point is how he explains it as an issur with no lashes, thus it only invalidates him at a rabbinic level. I'd like to hear how it is determined that this is an issur at all, and how it is one with no lashes. Do rabbis today have the ability to create a new "issur drabanan"? Are they defining an ancient issur derabanan to include the iphone as a form of application of an existing issur?

Supposedly, when Rav Shteinman was asked whether French Jews should be encouraged to make aliyah now to Israel, he responded that in Israel they will be ruined - government agents in Israel try to direct people away from religious institutions and to mixed and secular schools instead and ruin them, while in the USA there is no institution directing people so they would get absorbed into Torah institutions and schools and stay spiritually whole.
source: Kikar and Bechadrei

I am not one to argue on Rav Shteinman, but it did make me think about what he said..
a. who says the US is willing to take any French Jews in? The US does not have an open immigration policy. I don't know if French Jews would qualify for refugee status, but it seems like not. So, for most French Jews, the USA is probably not a realistic option, and therefore the statement is not overly helpful.

Is it true? Perhaps to some extent, though I am pretty sure those days are, for the most part, well behind us. Maybe in the 50s and 60s that was true, but now it seems to not be, with perhaps some exception.

Such a statement does remind me of Satmar. When they have worked to help distressed Jews leave their countries, especially Yemen, they have always preferred moving them to the USA rather than Israel for that very reason. It is surprising to hear Rav Shteinman say something like that.

If he really believes it, and if he said it I am sure he does, why does he not encourage his followers in Israel to move to the USA? In Israel they are exposed to these government efforts while in the USA they would not be.




------------------------------------------------------

Israeli elections are coming. The date is already set for March 17, 2015.

From what I understand, the "pinkas habochrim", the voter rolls, are closed 50 days prior to the elections. By my count that leaves 26 more days for changes to be processed in the voter rolls.

A yeshiva student from abroad went to Rav Shteinman and asked if he should make aliyah just so that he will be able to vote in the upcoming elections. Doing so would allow him to fulfill the mitzva of doing as the rabbis instruct, ועשית ככל אשר יורוך.

Rav Shteinman responded saying he should do so, it is appropriate, and qualified it saying this is only the case if he would be voting according to the Torah, presumably meaning for UTJ
sources: Bechadrei and Kikar

Now that is commitment! He'll make aliyah, obligate himself with all the issues in the country that is foreign to him - army, leaving his family, shidduchim in a foreign country, and whatever else, just so he can vote... I would have to assume he was already considering aliyah anyway.

I have no idea how long the process of making aliyah takes within Israel. When I did it many years ago the approval took longer than normal because Misrad Hapnim went on strike after I had started the process. I do not know how long it normally takes. I hope, for his sake, that it takes less than the 26 days remaining until the voter rolls closed. I'd feel really bad for him to make aliyah just to vote and than not even be able to vote...

Bechadrei is reporting an interesting psak (more than one, actually) from Rav Shteinman.

The question recently asked of Rav Shteinman is an age-old question, but it is a question that gets a lot of different answers.

Rav Shteinman was asked if one must pay taxes to the government in Israel. The question was actually framed a little differently. It was asked if one is allowed to steal from the Israeli government, considering that they collect taxes from people illegally (or maybe unfairly is a better word).

Note: before presenting his response, I will point out that no explanation was given as to how the government collects taxes illegally or unfairly. It is just a statement. It seems to me that the government has the right to collect taxes, and every government in the world does, in order to pay for the services it is required to offer (road works, garbage collection, welfare programs, security, development, firefighting, lifeguards, nature reserves, etc.). Perhaps he meant the taxes are, in his opinion, too high.

Rav Shteinman answered sharply in the negative saying that it is completely prohibited. The explanation provided was that the attempt to allow it is based on the concept of stealing from a thief, but in reality stealing from a thief is also prohibited.


Another question asked was about money someone received from the government, but he was not sure if he actually deserves it or not.

I am not one to argue with Rav Shteinman, but this is just strange..

Ladaat is reporting that during the holiday of Sukkos, after the early rains, one of the UTJ askanim of Jerusalem went to Rav Shteinman. Among other things, this anonymous askan asked Rav Shteinman about the heavy early rains that caused people to not be able to eat in the sukka - many could barely even eat the minimum kzayis before having to run inside. As well, many sukkas were blown over by the strong winds. This askan asked Rav Shteinman in what we need to strengthen ourselves - what does this indicate as to what problems we are having?

Rav Shteinman responded that because it affected the entire city, it is a public problem rather than a localized, personal problem. He then blamed the mayor, Nir Barkat, as the cause for the rains and winds preventing people from eating in the sukka. "when there is a mayor like that, everybody knows the reason".

Did he actually say it or not is obviously a question when dealing with an anonymous quote. Besides for that, assuming he did say it, I guess we can count on a rainy winter this year. Interesting that all the rain dances, such as the various prayers, aravos, helicopters with mekubalim, and all sorts of other stuff, we do, and most of them dont work, at least not obviously, but just having Nir Barkat as mayor brings rain. Also weird that at the beginning of the winter, when we are always in a drought status, or close to it, the rian is considered bad that someone has to be blamed for it. I get that it prevented a mitzva, but still - the country always desperately needs rain...

Perhaps Nir Barkat will be able to boast in his next election campaign that he was even able to bring the rain.

Interesting that Rav Shlesinger, a rav worthy of the position of Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and one I have only heard good things about, is upset that the haredi leadership is supporting Rav Lau instead of him, and has stated that Rav Shteinman is not well, doesn't understand the details and factors involved, and is unable to make such a decision.

When a regular person says it about a rabbi who makes an outlandish statement, the sky falls and he is a heretic. When it becomes relevant for rabbis, they also use that argument.

listen to the interview on Kol Haharedi

the color red is not just considered immodest, not tzanua, but it is also now considered to be "goyish". That is something I was never aware of.

On Friday Rav Shteinman paid a visit to a yeshiva to participate in a siyyum made by the yeshiva boys. When he got there and saw some of the tables covered in red tablecloths, he asked why they put a red tablecloth there, as red is a color of goyim.

Obviously they quickly removed the tablecloths, based on what Rav Shteinman said.
source: Ladaat

I guess it makes sense, if red is not a modest color, it would not be used by Jews, and is therefore a color for non-Jews alone. I am just surprised that I never heard such a thing before, and it seems the rosh yeshivas and rebbes in that yeshiva and rabbonim elsewhere, never did either. The opposition to red is generally specifically regarding women's clothing and it specifically references tzniyus issues, not imitating the non-Jews.

Now you know - stay away from red, and not just on women's clothing.

Kooker reports on an interesting story - this past Friday a newly married young man, in the middle of his week of sheva brachos, went to Rav Chaim Kanievsky and asked an important question. His mother, living in Ashdod, is making the sheva brachos on Shabbos. They wanted to know if they should not go because of the danger. On the other hand, not going would hurt his mother. What should they do?

Rav Chaim Kanievsky refused to answer them but instead sent them to ask Rav Shteinman.

Rav Shteinman heard the question and told them they should go to Ashdod for the sheva brachos, and they should make sure to take all safety measures and follow the instructions of Pikud Haoref - the Home Front Command.

and, more on Bnei Braq and the promise of the Chazon Ish -

Kooker adds that Rav Nissim Karelitz was asked by one his grandchildren this week regarding the famous promise of the Chazon Ish. Rav Nissim Kaarelizt is the nephew of the Chazon Ish. The grandchild asked what to do if the siren blares in Bnei Braq. Rav Karelitz told him to go into the secure room, the bomb shelter.

What about the promise of the Chazon Ish?

Rav Nissim Karelitz answered that it is true, the Chazon Ish did make the famous promise that missiles wont fall in Bnei Braq, and he heard it from the Chazon Ish with his own ears. However, he said, despite the promise, the obligation of hishtadlus one must take all precautions and follow safety instructions.