Thursday, January 05, 2006

In This Week's Parsha: You Can Speak Lashon Kodesh Without Speaking Hebrew

posted by A Simple Jew @ 6:24 AM   7 comments

7 Comments:

At January 5, 2006 at 6:25:00 AM EST, Blogger A Simple Jew said...

More on this from Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

 
At January 5, 2006 at 11:15:00 AM EST, Blogger MC Aryeh said...

I like the concept. Thank you for sharing the Torah of the Degel Machaneh Ephraim and Rebbe Nachman....

Was it common in the time of R' Menachem Mendel not to have an epitaph? A question of humility vs. minhag hamakom?

 
At January 5, 2006 at 12:05:00 PM EST, Blogger A Simple Jew said...

I am not sure, maybe Chabakuk Elisha or Yitz might know....

 
At January 5, 2006 at 1:34:00 PM EST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

ASJ,
Thanks for the Vitebsker's quote and the Degel's insight!

This quote from R' Mendele is actually one from a list of requests that he made in his will (SJ, have you seen the entire will? There are 2 or 3 of them, and many such requests).
It was, and is, common for Rabbonim to have gravestones containing many epitaphs - some look like they wrote the entire life history on the stone as well. But, simple people had simple stones, something that Chassidim commonly desired to emulate. Reb Mendel was uniquely humble, and he was well-known for this trait - thus his desire for the simplest of stones. I could go on about it, but I don't want to bore anyone with my rambling...

R Mendel also requested in his will, that people should not repeat diverei Torah in his name!

The Degel's lesson posted here is a very good answer the question that many raise, as to how Yosef could disclose that he spoke Hebrew (a language Pharaoh didn't understand) after promising that he wouldn't. According to the Degel, it wasn't actually Hebrew!

 
At January 5, 2006 at 7:21:00 PM EST, Blogger A Simple Jew said...

Chabakuk Elisha: I thought you might appreciate that one ;)

You are certainly correct. It was taken from his will. I must have only seen one of the wills because I did not see the request that people should not repeat diverei Torah in his name. I assume this was because of his humility, correct?

 
At January 6, 2006 at 8:24:00 AM EST, Blogger A Simple Jew said...

CE: I just looked at the will again last night and saw that it did in fact include the request that diverei Torah not be repeated in his name. This will however was written as instructions for his son. Why do you believe it applied to all others as well?

 
At January 6, 2006 at 9:57:00 AM EST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

ASJ,

I will have check again, but my impression had been that it was an instruction for everyone.

The reason for this request may be along the lines of R' Nachman of Breslov's statement:

"You may repeat my chiddushim in your own name, just don't state your chiddushim in my name."

Which I take to be a combination of humiliy and concern for being misquoted...

 

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