What is most gratifying is that this was a rare occasion where even the most acrimonious blogs had positive things to say.
RNTF had humble origins, growing up as an all-American boy in Chicago. Nevertheless, with perseverance he was able to rise to the prominent position of Rosh Yeshiva of the Yerushalayim Mirrer Yeshiva.
I only met RNTF several times, yet all times his perennial smile adorned his face.
Considering that he suffered constantly from many illnesses during his life, this is remarkable. Yet what I find even more amazing is that he built the Mir Yeshiva into one of the largest, if not the largest Yeshiva in the world. The Yeshiva debt has been estimated in the millions of dollars. This must have weighed heavily on him, as the burden for raising the necessary funds lay squarely on his shoulders. Yet his trademark smile never left his face.
I am reminded of a little known story regarding R' Meir Shapiro and his Yeshiva, Chachmei Lublin. RMS, in addition to creating Daf Yomi had grand ideas to found a Yeshiva which would attract the best Bochurim from all over the world. The entrance fee was to know several hundred Blatt by heart. The Yeshiva rivaled the amenities of the Yeshivos of our day. There was a huge library, dormitory and dining room all housed on the Yeshiva's premises.
Yet while it was difficult to find funds to erect the beautiful edifice, maintaining it proved to be a monumental task. Similar to the Roshei Yeshiva of our day, RMS was frequently forced to travel overseas to collect money for his institution. Perhaps it was the burden of maintaining YCL that eventually led to his demise, at 46 years of age.
In the biography on RMS, titled "A Blaze in the Darkening Gloom", a most fascinating story is told. It seems that the Prudential Insurance Company opened an office in Poland and the local representative figured it would make good business sense to offer a cheap policy to RMS as a publicity stunt. RMS named the Yeshiva as the beneficiary in the event of his death. It was this 50,000 dollars that staved off bankruptcy.
Similarly, RNTF may have been literaly Moser Nefesh for his Yeshiva. Perhaps his demise will be the catalyst for a successful emergency campaign to return the Mir to financial stability.
yehi zichro boruch
ReplyDeletea frum mk made much the same point to the k'nesset but if you ask me he, and you, are in poor taste
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/108568/MK-Eichler-Tells-Knesset%3A-Mir-Rosh-Yeshiva-Had-Heart-Attack-Because-We-Didn%27t-Concern-Ourselves-With-The-Budget.html
allow the shloshim to pass before exploiting the mans death for anything financial, no matter how noble the cause.
Bray,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that one should not use this or any other tragedy as a tool to collect Tzedakah.
Yet it behooves all of us to do the "forensics" and possibly thwart future deaths if we can find the cause. If the burden he shouldered was too overbearing, we certainly don't want it to take any more victims.
Hence I believe in this case an emergency appeal is in order.
The financial mess is inevitable. When you have a huge institution that educates its students NOT to enter the workforce, what do you expect? If the Mir is bailed out now, and allowed to grow further, it just means that there will be an even worse financial crisis further down the line. When will people realize that it is against the mesorah, and simply does not work, to teach people not to work for a living?
ReplyDeleteDear: Alumnus of Mir
ReplyDeleteSounds like you really don't have a clue about what you're saying. I think that you meant to say that Lakewood has that mehalach, because I know for a fact that the Mir dosen't. Not only that but the rebbeim usually give their blessing to one who wants to go out and work.
Thanks, Anon, I was waiting for someone of your caliber to respond. I believe you are correct, but having never learned in the Mir, I couldn't offer any first-hand information.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding of the situation is that the Mir is in reality a huge Shteeble with Torah being learned day and night. I don't think there is any policy or Hashkafah Shiur telling Avreichim that they can't work. One comes, finds his niche/Rebbe, then stays on and learns Torah for as long as he can. Most Talmidim eventually go back to the countries of origin and many eventually join the work force.
Lakewood is an entirely different concept, and this blog is not the correct venue for arguing such orthonomics. There are enough other blogs for that.
growing up as an all-American boy ...
ReplyDelete--- which elided the 'non-haredi' schooling in a MO neighborhood/schooling.... just to prove one can grow in torah no matter whether one cut their teeth on torah in a black kippa/white shirt, or kipa sruga and polo shirt...