[Avodah] controversial policy statement

[Joel Rich]

[image: Site logo image] Torah Musings <https://www.torahmusings.com/>Audio
Roundup 2022:35 <https://www.torahmusings.com/2022/09/audio-roundup-202235/>

Gil Student

Sep 6

by Joel Rich

Could it be that interest and discussion of mashiach in Jewish sources was
fueled by Christianity’s claim of his already having come?
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>From the RJJ Journal
I remember a discussion I had years ago with my Rosh Yeshiva, R Yitzchok
Hutner, about a controversial policy statement made by one of the leading
Torah figures of the time. It so happened that I didn’t quite agree with
that position and I mentioned my reservations to R Hutner. R Hutner
vehemently chastised me for my skepticism, telling me that I just didn’t
understand and that I was incumbent upon me to show the proper respect for
the gadol hador and I accepted his reproof. Six months later after the
“dust had settled” on this issue, R Hutner called me into his office and
brought up that topic again. To my great surprise he confided that he
considered the objection I had raised six months earlier to be quite valid.
I asked him why he had so sharply attacked my “chutzpah” in disagreeing
with that Torah leader. His response taught me a great lesson: When a Torah
leader is under attack, he needs and desires our backing and assistance.
When others are criticizing him, we need to be supportive. But now, time
has passed and the topic is off the table, there is less talk about it and
we can discuss the issue on its merits. At this point, we can honestly
assess what happened and consider whether, possibly, it could have been
handled differently.
Me-Comments on the approach of not privately discussing the merits in
real-time?

kt

joel rich
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