Speaking at a tisch on the first day Chol Hamoed Pesach the Vishnitzer Rebbe Shlita stated the pushing and shoving at the levaya of HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Halevy Wosner ZT”L and at chareidi public events in general are in the category of “שפיכת דמים”, nothing less.
The rebbe spoke about the events at the motzei Shabbos levaya that left an avreich dead and dozens injured, two seriously. “I do not tolerate the pushing of bochrim around me. It pains me and bothers me” stated the rebbe, who added he does not tolerate it and is strongly opposed to it, even for a moment. The rebbe stated the trend that exists at public chareidi events borders on ‘shvichas damim’.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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18 Responses
he is 100% right!!!!! this must stop at once!!!
Hate to say it:
From my experience living in Medinat Israel for a time, pushing and shoving is very common among Israeli youths at least, accompanied with exclamations of “Zuz!” or “Zuzi!” meaning “Move!”.
It’s rude, and evidently no one, including parents, care, even in Shul there is pushing and shoving.
“Only in Israel.”
The Rebbe is so right!
Also, it would be wonderful if all the rebbeim would issue a psak together that smoking is putting one’s self in a sakana.
Smoking endangers the smoker and his friends and relatives and others. The Torah teaches us to be healthy.
AL tiftach peh lasatan!
Does this Lashon Haraa have to be posted??
Someone once asked the Bobover Rebbe zt”l (R’N) what he should have in mind at the Hakufis on Simchas Torah, he said, not to step on another persons feet while all the pushing is going on..
only “borders”?
I always wondered why nobody ever spoke out against all the pushing and shoving that goes on. It seems like such a chilul Hashem and lack of middos that people will push each other just to get a glimpse of a gadol etc.
Unfortunately I’m not sure much will change but we can only daven and hope iyH.
My father-in-law a”h, had his toes stomped on during a dance around the bima during Simcha Torah. He passed away due to gangrene that infected his toes, then his foot, then his body eight days later.
The Vishnitzer Rebbe speaks the emes. We must be careful and think of others.
This is common practice on the men’s side at wedding dancing. Big zhlob bochrim think they have the first rights over Rabbonim, family and older people. This behavior is kneged haTorah.
Shiur was cancelled decades ago so Bochrim could attend funeral of former Gerer Rebbe in the mid nineteen seventies.Over 10,000 of his followers came and when Egged bus only sent 6 busses to transport attendees bach to city a stampeed occured for limited space.I saw 4 children trampled who could not run fast enough to get out of way. The problem with honoring a deceaced Tzaddik at cemetary is the masses exiting faster than them arrived. Just like Har Sinai.How familiar and predictable this tragety is.
If the Rebbes are serious about this they will stop being followed by hangers on wherever they go. A very positive example here is set by the Bostoner Rebbe of Har Nof Shlita who always goes out alone. Does his lack of followers in any way detract from his status as a Rebbe?
In one month is Lag B’Omer. 250,000 Haredim descend on Meron. Every year there are stories how only by a miracle were deaths avoided due to the crush, or from families passing out from thirst and heat stranded for hours in buses. Almost every year at the Muslim Haj in Mecca hundreds are crushed to death in a stampede, and even in England & Belgium lives are regularly squeezed out at football stadiums. At these mass Haaredi gatherings the terrain is ripe for hundreds of deaths ch”v, which may be part of Hashem’s natural culling procedure.
It’s a disappointing part of ourselves. Pushing even dates back to the z’man haMishna where the Mishna states why a gorel process was instituted. We beez who we beez!
By the way, post #5, that’s the Rebbe who also responded to a chosson who asked him what kavanos to bear in mind when putting on his tallis. Replied he, “Not to flick the person behind you with the tzitzis!” He was a great man! Sadly his passing brought about the huge machlokess. But his son in-law haAdmur Rav Mordecha Duvid did amazing things just to avoid the exacerbation of further machlokess! And Bobov45 was born!
Ah aidim ah shtick Shver!
B
At the crowded levaya of Rav Shlomo Brevda zt”l, the Chevra Kadisha Gabba announced “Kovod HaMaiss is important, but Kovod HaChai is even more important. Please take care that no-one gets hurt!”
an adam gadol once said that there are two “sports” that are still permitted in today’s charadei society, dancing at weddings and pushing at levayas
@emunat. What exactly is the loshon hora that is posted here?
While some pushing does occur to get close to the Aron (or Mitah) of a Godol , that was not the cause of the unfortunate tragedies that happened in this case , there was C’V no “stampede to get close to the Aron” like some news sights & individuals are trying to portray…..It was poshut poor planning , a crowd of that size should not have been allowed to enter the building & they should have had the stairway cleared before entering it with the Mitah….L’Maaseh they entered the stairway with the Mitah when the it was jammed with people & that’s what caused the great tragedy , שנשמע ונבשר אך ורק בשורות טובות ושמחות בבתי כל ישראל
In my opinion this is more horrific and tragic than the Sassoon fire. Unfortunately fires are part of the world we live in. We try to safeguard ourselves and do everything we can to prevent fire but we can comprehend that in normal life, fires occur and cause death and damage. It’s NOT comprehensible that frum yidden are dying from pushing and shoving. This is NOT a normal part of our lives and it’s a very dark and low moment in Jewish history. Shame on us!