Friday, January 13, 2023

Letter About Chumash

 A  Clearer image of a recently released letter from Harav Aaron Feldman shlita R"Y of Ner Yisrael Baltimore written on Asara B'teves on the chumash פשוטו של מקרא  English translation: 

Without Going into details and explanations I hereby publicly declare that since the  chumash Peshuto Shel Mikra is damaging to learn from It should not be kept at home and one should not do business with it as i have originally signed on the first letter that was published and not as the other letter that was recently said in my name. The Lakewood roshei yeshiva Rav Yeruchom Olshin, Rav Dovid Schustal and Rav Yisrael Neuman have signed on to the letter.



52 comments:

  1. Presenting a 'clearer' copy of this letter does not make this smear campaign against a wonderful Chumash any more tenable or acceptable. The ban of this Chumash, which presents the views of the Rishonim and others in a concise manner on each pasuk, and which myself and tens of thousands of esteemed bnei Torah never found anything wrong with, is nothing less than an outcry and travesty of the greatest porportions.

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    Replies
    1. You dont mean us bnei torah. You mean us who don't care about the words of gedolim.

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    2. So called "bnei torah" like you and your " tens or thousands" , to whom the opinion of gedolim mean nothing, are a great danger to klal yisrael.

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    3. I wonder if you ever learned the Mishna in Avos about Emunas Chachomim.

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    4. The problem is that none of the kolei koros tell us about which Gedolim refused to sign, or worse, vehemently disagreed with the content.

      Refusing to notify us about the alternate opinions - despite having first hand knowledge of it - creates a false impression and makes the askanim who are publicizing these letters into motziei shem rah.

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    5. To anonymous at 6:39PM. I wonder if you ever learned that Mishnah, given your dismissel of all the Rishonim and Achronim whose Torah is presented in this outstanding chumash. It's you and your ilk who are the real danger to the Jewish people.

      Delete
  2. Thank you. I'm greatfull for Rav Aharon for writing this clearly. There are so, so many meforshim which I wish I would learn. All so geshmak. I don't need this guy's 'peshuto'.

    We learn because Hashem gave us a Mitzvah to do so. If this chumash causes harm, then there's no mitzvah to learn in this Chumash.

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    1. This 'guy's' peshuto are the words of the Rishonim and Achronim presented beautifully. And this "guy" is a tremendous talmid chocham and yarei shamayim who you can learn from.

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    2. In that case, I may as well learn those Rishonim myself. What do I need him for to decide which rishonim to value and which....

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  3. I mean us bnei Torah who know how to learn and can think for ourselves, as do all the Gedolim who were completely against this so-called ban and refused to have anything to do with it.

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    1. At the most ,they considered it counterproductive due to other external factors, or unnecessary
      Which ones if any "were completely against this so-called ban"?

      Delete
  4. We bnei torah accept the opinion of the gedolim that disagree with this ban but haven't publicized their opinion for obvious reasons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "obvious", eh? Explicate them for the public
      "disagree with this ban" is the PC savvy thing

      Delete
    2. Nit sure what obvioys reasons means. There are several older Gedolim that have nothing to be afraid of by disagreeing. All they have to do is write a letter that they respect Rav Feldman opinion but they don't agree. If they don't do that then ........

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  5. We bnei torah believe that chachmei Yisrael have siyata dishmaya. when they write a psak against a sefer.
    It is troubling that someone was trying to distort the truth, keilu the rabanim retrieved from their psak.
    This turns out to be a lie!

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  6. Can someone name even one Gadol who was against this ban either publicly or privately?
    I am sure the publishers of this Chumash have tried to get some backing in face of all these l
    kol kores, if they couldn't get even one person to say something is pretty telling to me
    Now I'm a pretty cynical and critical guy who was skeptical about these kol kores at the beginning but with no one supporting the other side, seems telling.
    Besides for the fact that R Ahron Feldman is not someone who throws around his signature

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    Replies
    1. Woodridger Rav is a strong supporter of the chumash

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    2. Who? Never heard of the Woodridger.

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  7. I wouldn’t have learned this Chumash either way but if you are going to ban something there should be an explanation. When Rav Moshe Feinstein and Rav Shlom Zalman Aurbach (separately) banned a then “recently rediscovered Rishon on Chumash” they didn’t just write a letter. They also wrote actual Teshuvos on the topic. I know that the same crowd who supports this Chumash probably doesn’t take RMF or RSZA on that “rishon” too seriously either but their teshovos have value for Yorey Shmoyim in general about important issues of haskafa.

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    Replies
    1. There was an explanation. That left room for all sorts of lies, spin and arguments. Which is exactly what prompted this new letter: the facts, without any wiggle room to confuse people.

      _____

      It's important to remember that we learn Hashem's Torah because He commanded us to do so. He did not command us to use this 'peshuto'. What happened when people were learning , seriously, but unfortunately didn't feel Torah needed a brocha?... נדרים פ"א. These games are simply not worth it.

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    2. This perush is no different from the perush of any Achronim. I guess your against those too.

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    3. So let him call it Yankel's pirush. The chutzpah of the name...... in addition to all else

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  8. Y there is no letters against the chumash from e.i.roshei yeshivas

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  9. Not a single gadol was against the ban. The only ones against it were self proclaimed bnei Torah on blogs.

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    1. These bored goons went around to R' Shlomo Miller, R' Shmuel Kamenetzky and many others, and they REFUSED to sign on this letter. The reason the current letter is missing many of the original signatures is because they (e.g., R' Elya Ber Wachtfogel and others) were notified by people who ACTUALLY LEARNED from this great chumash that it is outstanding and written by a great person. R' Moshe Sternbuch also had many great Talmidei Chachomim go through the entire chumash and they attested that it;s "kolu kodesh." That letter was printed on this website.

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    2. Where's the supposed letter from Rav Moshe Sterbuch?

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  10. Take a victory lap, bloggers, you intimidated successfully. And then feign innocence!
    None want to receive the shellacking they will be smashed with if they give even slight concurrence with the Ban
    They have a little experience the past couple decades




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  11. The argument that this book quotes reshonim and achronim and therefor its legit is an extremely stupid argument. Because the reason why the gedolim are against it, is the way they pick and choose, and the way they portray it. Anyone who ever learnt anything understands that

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    1. There was another similar chumash that did the same thing (Chumash hamevoar, came out 35 years ago) and it had the haskamos of R' Shlomo Zalman, Dayan Weiss, R' Moshe Halberstam and many others. In fact, even today, Oz Vehadar's Mikra Meforush does that too and no one came out against it. A bunch of bored people that need jobs and something to do with themselves are behind this rediculous ban.

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    2. Obviously, it was not the same thing. You proved the point.

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    3. All contemporary perushim on everything pick and choose to their liking. Oz Vehadar does it in their perushim al hatorah and in their mesivta on shas; Artscroll does it too and nobody ever had any problem with them, because they were done with seichel and shikul hadaas. The author of this chumash did the same and did a phenominal job at it, which is why the whole calumny against it is completely reprehensible. Parenthetically, it seems that most of those against this chumash never really leart from it, but they just feel good being against something; it gives them validation of sorts.

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    4. 1) It is obviously not the same as any accepted pirush - since this one is not accepted.

      2) Amazing that you refer to Rav Aharon etc the way you do. Says all we need to know about this 'biur' and the people behind it.

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    5. And the fact that you're against the Rishonim and Gedolei Achronim that comprise this wonderful chumash, calling it 'haskalah,' says all we need to know about YOU!

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  12. again, why dont we see any letter against, from the gdolei roshei yeshiva in eretz israel, or even gdolei rabanim

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    Replies
    1. So that proves that it's worthwhile to play Russian roulette and indulge in this 'biur'? Weird. Definitely not a worthwhile risk.

      Delete
  13. What’s the tzad to learn from a Chumash that’s a safek kefira? That’s going in the best case scenario that it’s only a safek!

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    1. I don't learn any seforim cuz of safek kefira.

      Put that on the chumra song.

      Delete
  14. The word "kefira" has no place in any of these comments. Even if one accepts this letter upon himself, the letter NEVER indicates the sefer has kefira. Watch your words.

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    Replies
    1. Not kefira, but wrong to use.
      Suit yourself. Which term would you like better?

      Delete
  15. The exact term used by Rav Feldman would be perfectly fine. HE never said it was Kefira, YOU did. That is wrong.

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  16. A bit of background to those who'd like to better understand the ban against Peshuto shel Mikra:
    The peirush has been out for four years and has been one of the best-selling works on Chumash since that time, with tens of thousands of people using this peirush on a steady basis, especially among haredim in Eretz Yisroel. These tens of thousands of readers have found it to be excellent, with no more flaws than comparable works published by rival publishing companies.
    The campaign against it was started by one of the leaders of the political movement Peleg several years ago, as part of a larger campaign against a Haredi institution that they have been campaigning about for years, with very little traction. The goal in the Peshuto shel Mikra campaign was to discredit this other organization, which they THOUGHT was associated with Peshuto Shel Mikra, particularly ONE individual who was a PROOFREADER on Peshuto shel Rashi (not a writer and not working on Peshuto shel Mikra).
    These kannoim could not get broader Rabbinnic backing for a ban, so they turned to a Beis Din in Bnei Brak. That Beis Din found NOTHING wrong with the authors of Peshuto shel Mikra, declaring them yorei SHomayim, etc. But they did not like that the peshat-level peirush, which is largely sourced in Rishonim, Netziv, Malbim, and Rav Shamshon Refoel Hirsch was called "Peshuto shel Mikra," as if Rashi was NOT peshuto shel mikra.
    They therefore asked that a revised edition be printed that gives that peirush a different title and also places Rashi's peirush above it.
    Nothing about the peirush being kefira, nothing about the people being maskilim or anything like that.
    So the kannoim seeking to discredit the AUTHORS as maskilim and the peirush as the work of haskala did not achieve what they had sought.
    A Beis Din in Yerushalayim wrote that they had gone through the work in its entirety, every single word in all five volumes, and declared it "kulo kodesh."
    The kannoim were now stuck.
    Knowing the sefer (every shul and Beis Midrash had it and tens of thousands of haredim were using it happily) and knowing what the Battei Din had judged, Eretz Yisroel Rabbonim were now even less interested in joining the kannoim in their campaign to have the sefer banned and the authors discredited.
    So, they turned to Lakewood, to try and accomplish in Lakewood what they could not accomplish in EY.
    In Lakewood as well, Rabbonim such as Rav Shlomo Miller refused to sign, with Rav Miller saying "Who am I supposed to sign against? Ibn Ezra? Rashbam? Rav Avraham ben HaRambam?"
    And that is where the Lakewood Roshei Yeshiva + Rav Feldman came in.

    (Perhaps I will write more about this later. But those who wish to continue using the sefer are standing with tens of thousands of EY Bnei Torah and their Rabbonim. As I wrote above, there's a reason why the kannoim had to try and pull this off in Lakewood: in EY, where the Rabbonim were very familiar with the sefer, its authors, and the campaign against it, the ban would not fly. )

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    Replies
    1. Stop posting the publisher's lies. It's very problematic, as rav ahron feldman said "much damage can come from using it" and that's the facts. All the excuses and fake background history, is just that. the publisher is being stubborn and not keeping their promises to not print any more until the issues are corrected. It's going to take the author a few years to correct, and the publisher wants to keep their best seller on the shelf. Rav Nissan katelitz beis din is not eitz, and neither are the very chosuve ey rabbonim that cosigned the ban along with rav nissan katelitz beis din.

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    2. A lot of verbose chatterboxing ,after previous attempts failed
      That your normal strawmen(israeli charedim) fell for it, nu nu

      We are aware that israelis with all their
      maalos are often less than savvy when it comes to larger
      hashkaphah

      till someone brings these up to their attention.






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    3. The bete noire-previously despised by your blogging crowd ,R' Miller
      all of sudden is the go-to man.
      How come? He banned other things. He doesn't desire more bad press, so he has been deflecting the topic

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    4. And how come Rabbi Feldman is now YOUR go-to man? Most people never even heard of him till about ten years ago.

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    5. Really? you must be new to our velt.

      On top of thus,
      Someone like him a worldly individual
      of broad background, whose brother was editor of Modern orthodox journal
      Tradition,should by your [plural] own previous proclaimed standards be YOUR go-to man
      Instead you [plural] will however vociferously despise him the more, as predictable, since he is a man of worth whose concern is..
      Emes

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    6. Cohen Y: You are in desperate need of a beginners course in writing. Your poorly written, largely incomprehensible and immature comments, punctuated by a futile attempt at elequence, don't make you look too bright. As for me being new to "your" velt, I've learned Shas be'iyun for several decades and can in all likelihood mop the floor with you. I also am well aware of the contributions to society of R' Feldman and his younger brother, and probably was so years before you were born.

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    7. Delicious self promotion,eh?
      How then,dear me, does it jive with
      'is now YOUR go-to man? Most people never even heard of him till about ten years ago'?

      Delete
  17. Thank you for your clear presentation of the facts. I've learned through this entire chumash more than once. Saying it is excellent in every way and a tremendous asset to Klal Yisrael is an understatement.

    ReplyDelete