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Ashkenazim are more intellectual (look at all the great yeshivas), which causes more individualism. Hence more opportunities for Machloket.
Sephardim are more emotionally/spiritually connected. That leads to less individualism.Ashkenazim seem more prone to Machloket. I’ve heard this from many ASHKENAZIM
Of course you’ve heard it from Ashkenazim, who fondly imagine all kinds of things about a community they don’t know. You won’t hear it from Sefaradim, who know it’s not true.
It is a machlokes Rishonim whether Ahavas Yisroel requires actual loving feelings towards fellow Jews or simply to do for them what you want done for yourself and not do to them what you would not want done for yourself.
“Ashkenazim are more intellectual??
That’s a Chiddush.”A Sephardic friend explained that to me. He said that the Ashkenazi connection to Hashem is more intellectual. Which was good until Haskala. Before Haskala, the average nonJew was an illiterate ingnorant peasant. It was easy to stay separated.
After secular enlightenment, their ideas were harder to refute out of hand. That’s why many went OTD in Europe, especially among non chassidim. The Chassidim, my friend explains, went more towards the emotional/spiritual connection to Hashem, and thus suffered less OTD.
“Ashkenazim seem more prone to Machloket. ”
Another good reason for that is explained by the Chida.
He says that Ashkenazim are from Binyamin and are tougher people. Hashem put them in Europe because they could withstand the harsh galut of Esav. Binyamin was the only son who did not bow in front of Esav. That maaseh avot was needed for the banim.
“MDG do you know the source for that HIDA?
I heard that he said that Ashkenazim come from Midat Hadin and Sephardim from Rachamim.”I confused my sources. What you quoted from the Hida is correct.
I have a book on English that states a Midrash about Haman telling Mordecai to bow, just like Yaacov bowed before Esav. Mordecai answered that he is from Binyamin who did not bow.I kept out of the for a while there’s no question Ashkenazim were more intellectual and that goes even the Middle Ages as well when they influenced even Spanish jewry
Who were quite different anyhow than Eastern SephardicYabia Omer
MDGמגלה עמוקות stated this as well
“But how do you explain that many Sephardim were intellectual Geonei Olam?”
I’m not about intellectual capacity or accomplishment. I’m talking about approach in life. Ashkenazim like to intellectualize things. A couple examples:
Ashkenazim like to learn Gemara for lomdus, not for halacha. See the intro to the Yabia Omer, where he points out the need to learn halacha. Otherwise, people learn lomdus and can make huge mistakes because they think they understand. ROY points out that when an Ashkenazi student starts learning for smicha, he goes in the back of the B”M and kind of hides, as if he’s doing something shameful.A non practicing Sephardi is generally philosophically Orthodox. He knows the real religion, but chooses not to follow. Nonfrum Ashkenazim, on the other hand, make a whole philosophy about their misdeeds. Hence reform, conservative, reconstruction, renewal, etc.
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מגלה עמוקות stated this as well
”Exact source. I want to see inside.
So if we distill the past 50 or so postings, Ashkenazim are more “intellectual” and that, in turn, makes them more philosophical prone to “engage in machlokes” Poor Sephardim are just plain thinking, everday poishete yidden without much depth and thus willing to accept other (similarly situated) poishete yidden without overthinking their real motives and intent. For example, when you walk in to a strange ashkenaz shul, a few in the tzibur may grunt gutten shabbos and will immediately worry about WHY you are there and what sorts of mischief you may have in mind (aka c’v sitting in a makom kavuah or taking a sefer from someone’s shtender). Conversely, the tzibur in the Sehardeshe shul will give you a warm “shabbot shalom’, escort you to a seat, make sure you have a siddur, and insist you stay around for the kiddush after davening.
GH,
The ironic thing is that the friend i quoted is a Sephardic college professor, an intellectual.The Ashkenzi OTD became the Reform etc starting some 200+ years ago. The Sephardi OTD became Catholics about 500-600 years ago. Today fully one third of modern day Spanish Christians descend from Sephardim.
The great talmidei chachomin in klal yisroel over the last almost 500 years have mostly come from among the Ashkenazim. 500+ years ago they largely came from the Sephardim, though there were of course the greatest of the greats, Rashi, as well as numerous others such as the Baalei Tosfos etc. that came from Ashkenaz.
Joaeph, what about the Chida and the Ben Ish Chai?
Reb Eliezer, of course there were huge Sefardic gedolim. But numerically there have been far far more and even far greater Askenazic gedolim over the last several hundred years.
Currently, I giive thanks to Rav Ovadya Yoseph ztz’l for his Yabia Omer and Yechaveh Daas for disseminating all the views when answering a shalah.
YO — See the following OP:
@lakewhut
“I love who I’m supposed to love”
the perfect answer!
Am Yisroel Chai! Lenetzach!
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