This horrific photo was just submitted to YWN, and was taken on HaHamenuchos on Sunday afternoon. Today, is the Yartzheit of the previous Belzer Rebbe, Rav Aahron ZATZAL, and the Matzeiva on Rav Moshe’s Kever collapsed after thousands of Belzer Chassidim were in the area to daven at the Rebbes Kever.
The two Kevarim are next to each other, and thousands of Chassidim were pushing and shoving to get a better view of their Rebbe davening, when the Matzeiva of the Posek Hador was collapsed by the weight of the massive crowd.
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45 Responses
these chayos were standing ON the kever to cause this to happen.
basically, they trampled on a sefer torah to watch their rebbe daven.
oh, and now they are partying the night away at the vort of tenoyim of the rebbes granddaughter.
they should be gozer a taanis, not a party.
the matzeiva collapsed not the kever
I am disgusted that people can stand on a kever.
Be prepared for bad things to happen…
This chilul Hashem can only be rectified if they promise to keep the dangerous crowds away in the future and allow their rebbe some space. I was there. There is really not that much space for many chasidim to fit safely. Kovod HaTorah! Kovod Habrios!
“Ferd” you’re talking about “chayos” when you weren’t even there. They weren’t standing on the kever. They were pushing it causing the matzeiva to collapse. You should be the one fasting just for being motzi shem on erliche yidden.
The Belzeis don’t respect Rav Moshe they are not shomer shabos. they were the FIRST to carry Shabos against the psak of the godol hador Rav Moshe
Coffee, that doesn’t make it any less disgusting.
Can’t say I’m surprised that they would cause this to happen.
“Shtip nisht!!”
This is a terrible story, but just a reminder, stereotyping, is not an answer.
I don’t think the people involved in it, had any idea what is going to happen.
It might be that someone who couldn’t even see the Kever, and he pushed someone as a chain effect.
The Chevra Kadishe has to make sure that crowds are controlled.
I guess you are a ferd (horse). To just assume without getting facts. Well I WAS there, no one ever stood chas veshalom on the matzeiva of the gadol hador. It is very natural when thousands gather in such a small place, that people push and it gets very crowded. Unfortunately the side of the matzeiva fell due to the overwhelming crowd. And the Belzer Rebbe Shelita immediately ran over and asked mechila from reb Moishe. And asked that the Belzer askonim repair it ASAP. Enough with sinas chinom. Zechosoi yogen oleinu.
MDG- the article does not say that they did.
Do you think this is a Kovod for Reb Moshe ztl to talk like this. The Matzeivo collapsed, it is an accident. Someone should say some Tehillim there and thats it. And someone should make sure the repairs are paid for.Why all the hatred?
Just imagine if it would of been the other way around that the litvishe knocked down their rebbes it would’ve been another trayvon martin car of rioting and looting
I feel the picture is very painful to look at and should maybe be removed from the headline.
Having been to Har HaMenuchos many times, I know that the Matzeivos are Horizontal, unlike in Chutz lo’Oretz where most of them are vertical, so I am not very clear how a horizontal Matzeivo can tip over?
But what I am very clear on, is that it is always a brilliant idea to stay away from huge crowds.
Thank you #10. It so happens that the mazteiva that fell is in front of his kever and it fell on top of it. Based on the picture, the chasidim were NOT on his kever.
calm down it was an accident it will be fixed or repaired in a few days.
naftali99 says:
July 28, 2013 at 2:41 pm
The Belzeis don’t respect Rav Moshe they are not shomer shabos. they were the FIRST to carry Shabos against the psak of the godol hador Rav Moshe
I am sure there are some thing that the belzer are machmer where rav Moshe was machel.. does that mean you are a sinner
To “Naftali99”:
Not so fast! When Maran Rav Schach ZT”L started Degel Hatorah, Belz was the ONLY Chassidus to join! The Belzer Rebbe showed (and continues to show)tremendous Kavod Hatorah! He is B”H close to all the Litvisha Rabbonim! You’re picking a fight with the wrong Chassidus!
We are still missing a lot of information as to what exactly happened.
its a shame that such things have to happen, we try to be good and have good intentions but sometimes we get lost on the way and we forget the basic halacha, we should all take this as a lesson for the future – whatever you do , do properly,and make sure the results won’t have negativity in it.
There should be ropes around kevarim & matzeivos so people will know not to stand or push around them, especially when they are in such close proximity. I understand there is no enough rope in the world to surround every kever, but here is enough to surround important ones, or around each of several important ones, so that when there are large crowds and pushing, the ropes collapse, not anything else.
Huge crowds, mob scenes are connected to Rebbe events.
Not a Blezer however their REBBE has class and did what was right Now Blezer chassidim follow what he did and how fast he did it
Yeedlee- “It is very natural when thousands gather in such a small place, that people push”
Putting everything else aside, and I am not saying there was pushing going on, but this statement is just wrong. If people had proper Middos and Derech Eretz then there should be no pushing no matter how many people are there. You don’t just push someone so you could get a better view of something. The ends don’t justify the means.
No big deal. It wasn’t on purpose, and I see no evidence that they were standing on it, contrary to #1
A FEW SANE OBSERVATIONS FIRST TO THE MODERATOR WHY HORRIFIC????
NEXT ANYONE WHO KNOWS HOW MATZEIVOS ARE CONSTRUCTED IN eRETZ YISROEL THE KEVER IS SEALD BY A THICK LAYER OF CONCRETE THEN FOUR WALLS ARE ERECTED SO THE METZEVA IS BASICALLY A HOLLOW RECTANGLE IN SUCH A GREAT CROWD IT COULD COLLAPSE
THIRD WHERE ARE ALL THE LITVAKS WHO DONT REALIZE THAT THE KARKA THAT R’MOSHE ZT”L IS NITMAN AS WELL WELL AS THE TCHEBINER ROV & A THIRD ROV ALL BELONGED TO THE BELZER KEHILLA WHICH ON ORDERS OF THE BELZER KEHILLA GAVE A CHELPA AWAY FOR R’ MOSHE ZT”L AS WELL AS THE TCHEBINER ROV ZT”L
HOWEVER THE BAL DOVOR LOVES SUCH STORIES AS WELL AS THE NEWSMONGERS SO HENCE THE STORY DID THE MODERATOR FOR ONE MINUTE BELEIVE THAT THE NUTS & SONEY YISROEL WOULD BE QUIET.
I THINK YOU SHOULD PUT YOUR BRAIN IN GEAR BEFORE YOU PUT A FINGER TO A KEYBOARD
147 – I have a sister buried near there. Reb Moshe’s matzaiva is the same shape as the others but very tall, with the words written on the side instead of the top.
Yeedlee, what exactly does asking mechila mean? Did he throw himself down on the ground and cry and ask mechila? Was he gozer taanis on himself and his chasidim? Or did he just “ask for mechila?” I don’t know. But I do know that sometimes, asking for mechila compounds the avla.
Dear YW editor. Shame on you, really.
Not the article.
Your first comment is so stereotypical, and spewing such extreme hatred towards Chassidim.
Sincerely,
Smartcookie
This is not the first time there have been these kinds of disgusting episodes when huge crowds of chassidim show for their rebbe’s funeral or yartzheit and push and shove their way to get close and trample the area around the kever. I’ve seen where bochurim climb up into trees breaking off branches, walk on the landscaping, stand on other nearby kevoirm and generally acting like animals without respect for anyone except their rebbe. To their credit, the Lubavitch do a credible job of crowd control at the Ohel for the rebbe’s yartzheit but otherwise there seems to be a complete lack of organization and respect among other chassidus. Maybe its time to simply restrict how many can attend these events and tell those who show up without reservations to go home.
I guess some of you guys don’t fly to Miron on Lag Ba’omer. Where ever there is thousands of people arriving in small areas, there is major pushing.
Throw himself on the floor??? Are you retarded??? Did someone intensionally try to destroy a poisek hador’s mateiva??? Get real guys. Things happen. And btw. They are working all night to fix it. End of story. And tnx Mashke for bringing out this point. The whole area belong to Belz!!! The belzer rebbe shlita decided to give away a chelke to Reb Moishe zatzal. So come and accuse belz of being mevaze reb Moishe??? Enough with hatred!!!
this is just another manifestation of the same middah that alot of chassidm possess.ignoring their surroundings and doing whatever they want to .its mamash a very disturbing middah. Its still perplexing how come the rebbe’s don’t speak out against this mishegas
BH
just a thought, reb Moishe was a true godol in the real way, not like some of the fakers today, so dont you think that Reb Moishe being the Anav that he was and in addition to being posek hador was a bal midos and so on, dont you think that he would take it as a Z’chus to have thousands of yiden davening to hashem right next to him, a mistake happened and i am sure that something like this would never happen again.
to go and write that we should be prepared for bad things to happen, Rachmana Litzlan to talk like this, to make a Pischon Peh for the Satan.
No. I cannot remain silent.
It was surely an inadvertent bizayon to this giant, Posek Hador, no question about it. We all know the story of how HaShem stuck up for his honor. No, it’s not a small thing, it’s Kavod Hatorah in it’s fullest sense.
However, as we all know, it was not done purposefully. People may have been pushed, shoved, it was inadvertent. Yes, crowd control should have been better, more security should have been in place, and I’m most certainly sure they will in the future, but for heaven’s sake, it was an accident. Kindly cool your engines.
To speak badly, to malign a group or community of Yidden is a most severe, grave sin. I’m actually suprised so many here took the liberty to spew their hatred openly, and about an eida of Yidden, without any regard to Hilchos Lashon Hara.
WHY HAVENT YOU PUBLISHED THE ENTIRE STORY YOU SEEM TO BE ABLE TO GET STORIES UPDATED WHEN IT SERVES YOUR PURPOSE EVIDENTLY YOURE REPORTER (METALMIDOV SHEL KORACH) HAD TO RUN & CATCH AN EARLY MINCHA BEFORE THE SHKIYA SO HE COULDNT FILE AN UPDATE GET REAL GENTLEMEN
I got inside info that it happened by a mistake, this year there was much more CHASIDIM then all of the years, that’s because there was a TNOYIM THAT NIGHT IN BELZ, & things happen by mistakes,
I am reading these comments and totally in shock how those amongst us jump to erroneous and downright laughable conclusions that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Twenty-seven years ago, when Rav Moshe Feinstein passed away, he didn’t have a burial plot. In an effort circumvent questionable actions from the powers to be, it was none other than the Belzer Rebbe, who rose up to the occasion and gave the very same plot where he was supposed to be buried to the Feinstein family. Again, the highest esteem was accorded to Rav Moshe Feinstein by none other than the Belzer Rebbe. This morning by 12:00 PM, less than 24 hours after the tombstone collapsed, it was repaired under the expedited efforts of the Belzer Rebbe. It is extremely unfortunate that this happened, but make no mistake beyond any fathomable doubt, there was zero malicious intent or excessive force used throughout the Belzer Rebbe’s Yahrtzeit that caused this to occur. We are talking about a very densely populated area and masses of people. The fact that commentators can paint any other picture is 100% pure richilus. The fact that The Yeshiva World would write inciting words that, “thousands of Chassidim were pushing and shoving to get a better view of their Rebbe davening” is very distressing. There is no need to manufacture a scenario that simply wasn’t.
I have no doubt that this was an accident. That doesn’t obsolve people from behaving with Derech Eretz. In what way did they honor their Rebbe?
Once again as we approach chodesh Elul it is boggles the mind how outrageous our own Yidden can be and how much sinas Chinam can be displayed. My dear friends, when will you learn????
Yes this is a very sad occurrence and we can all learn something from it. No one visiting kevorim in Eretz Yisroel would ever imagine that a matzeivah can be tipped over. Lets begin with that. They look as solid and permanent as could be.
So we now learn that we must be much more careful because they can indeed be tipped over and there is very little space in the crowded cemeteries. That goes for everyone not just Chassidism.
What else did we learn, that even from a nifter’s kever one must ask mechilah as the Belzer Rebbe showed his kehilla. And that one must respect and honor it to such a degree that repairs must be made b’zrizus. Know and understand that when you are dealing with kevorim of your own family members.
Anyone that wants to make a chilul Hashem by trying to make issue with this accident and unfortunate incident will have to daven extra hard come Rosh Hashanah. Your comments will not instigate sinas Chinam in others but will instigate Hashem’s tears.
You will have to ask mechilah from both Reb Moshe and the Belzerb Rebbe.
Stop the excuses, it is a disgrace and a barbaric act. Had arabs done this we would be calling for the death penalty? Where in the gemara do you hear that by accident someone walkied over a Sefer Torah? Accident? The nazi’s did it on purpose and Belz made sure it happened again. It doesn’t matter that Belz gave the chelek as a matana to the Godol HaDor. Some things are sacrosanct but not if you’re a chossid – nothing is heilig except your own.
It is good that the Rebbe took swift action after what happened. But is that enough? After all, the Rebbe did not push it down. What about the masses of people involved. How about them going to do teshuvah, going to ask mechilah, and perhaps fast as well? If a sefer Torah would have fallen, what would have been the reaction? Rav Moshe zt”l was like a living sefer Torah.
I am reminded of Rashi in Devarim 1:22, where he brings divrei Chazal, about the mussar that Moshe Rabbeinu gave regarding inappropriate, chaotic, wild ways of gathering, when people are pushing each other. A proper Torah gathering is not supposed to be full of pushing! Period!
Mashke and Ruchi: The Belzer Kehila gave the plot l’chvod R’ Moshe. They GAVE the plot. It doesnt mean that litvaks owe Belz anything and it doesnt mean that litvaks cant get upset at a bizayon to the matzeivah.
Granted, it is wrong to put down the chassidim because of a mistake. It couldnt be anything but a mistake. After all, Belz gave the plot out of kavod for R’ Moshe.
kishmich: The nerve you have to compare a group of yidden to the arabs adn the nazi’s, ym”s?! Unreal! And it does matter that they gave the plot ot R’ Moshe, it shows they do have kavod hatorah!
I’m a litvak all the way and I agree that sometimes it seems that “if you’re a chossid – nothing is heilig except your own” (as you put it). Its hard but i try not to be so hasty in my judgement of other people. Try it, its good for you…
I know it was an accident but maybe it is time for chassidim to do some introspection and stop with the ridiculous pushing that goes on at EVERY chassidish Rebbeh event be it a Tishch or anything else. The Rebbe is not an avodah zorah. Stop making him into one!
Amazing if not for the fact that reb moshe was berried next to the belzer rebba there would never be anyone by the kever. I was there in adar by reb moshes yor tzait and there was barely a minyan there. Where is all the kovid hatora!!!!
Smart1 – Litvaks don’t make such a big thing about going to kevorim. In fact, certain gedoilim held that one should not go to a beis oilam. Especially if bitul Torah is involved.
Rav Moshe’s Torah is being learned all over, world wide, sifsoisav doivevois bakever. Rav Moshe is alive all over the world through his Torah! That is kavod HaTorah!