[Avodah] Telling All of the Truth About Great Men

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 03:03:42AM -0400, Moshe Y. Gluck wrote:
: It would seem to me that when the Torah (i.e., Hashem) decided to share
: something negative about an otherwise great man one should not second guess
: its (i.e., His) judgment...

Hashem is actually quite critical, compared to "kol ha'omer David
chatah..."

It would seem that in terms of values, He chooses to teach us from mistakes
well over preserving reputation of the deceased. Something to emulate?

Still:
:                      (He should also make sure that he has a different
: p'shat in the Gemara in Berachos 19a, Kol Hamesaper Achar Matasan (or,
: Mitasan) Shel Talmidei Chachamim Nofel B'Gehenom.)

Although not necessarily when we're discussing something the gadol in
question considered beshitah to be mutar or even laudible.

By not telling over that the Netziv read Haskalishe newspapers on Shabbos
we are not only misportaying the man, we are misrepresenting his pesaq
and his mehalekh. We are doing a disservice to the Netziv by lessening
the impact of his derekh on the future in favor of some new one.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             The Maharal of Prague created a golem, and
micha at aishdas.org        this was a great wonder. But it is much more
http://www.aishdas.org   wonderful to transform a corporeal person into a
Fax: (270) 514-1507      "mensch"!     -Rav Yisrael Salanter