Question:
The Rav often quotes Chassidic concepts, especially concepts that are sourced in the words of Rebbi Nachman of Breslov and other Chassidic giants. However I’ve seen the words of the Steipler, as well as his son Rav Chaim Kanievsky, as well as Rav Ben Tzion Abba Shaul, who were very against bochurim in the Litvishe world who became ‘caught by the trap’ of Chassidus, and they were especially against Breslov, which the Litvishe world shunned entirely. How are we to understand this? [Why is the Rav fusing Chassidus into the Litvishe path]? And according to Chassidus, the concept of connecting to a tzaddik is one of the fundamentals of serving Hashem, but the academic and intellectual world (especially the Litvishe world) totally disregards this concept as being entirely unimportant. What is the truth? How can either of these two extremes (Chassidus versus the Litvishe path) both be right?
Answer:
There are many ways in serving Hashem, and all of them are true. In my upbringing, in the beginning of my years when I began to mature, I learned in Yeshivas Pachad Yitzchok, by my teacher, the Gaon Rebbi Yonasan David, shlit”a. From him, I received an inner way of looking at the Torah. This beis midrash (Pachad Yitzchok) was founded by Rav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l, who said on himself, “To the Litvish, I am too Chassidish, and to the Chassidish, I am too Litvish.” It was there in that place (Pachad Yitzchok) where an atmosphere of pnimiyus took hold, where all parts of Torah are gathered together and fused together, though it was not always openly recognizable there.
After that, I received from the Rosh Yeshivah [of Ponovezh], HaGaon Rav Gershon Edelstein shlit”a, and I spoke with him at length about general topics, as well as this topic in particular [fusing Chassidus into the Litvish way of serving Hashem]. I asked him: When teaching many others, should I fuse Chassidus into what I am teaching? He answered me, “I already received certain concepts from Rav Dessler zt”l, and you can see that Rav Dessler often quotes Chassidic concepts, in sefer Michtav M’Eliyahu.” He also said to me, “Do not be fazed by people who will oppose you because of this.”
Categories
