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Islam is by its nature (according to the ‘pashut’ reading of the Quran) a controlling and an intolerant religion! There I said it! Forget about contemporary Talibans and Wahabis, since its very creation, Islam has subscribed to the belief that Christians and Jews are Dhimmis thus making them subserviant to Muslims under Shariyah law.
It’s bad enough to have a growing Muslim population in America, I don’t want it in my back yard in NY! And if it means using logic like not allowing a mosque on WTC grounds, then I’m up for using whatever it takes to prevent Islam from growing here.
As with many areas of halacha and hashkafa, there are 2 major schools of thought – the rationalists (Rambam, RaSaG etc…) and the mystics (Chassidishe Rebbes and Ari type kabbalists). It seems that the major machlokes between R’ Yonason Eyebshitz and the R’ Yakov Emden may also relate to the above issue. I certainly could not make an assertive claim that one approach is more valid than the however…
However, I agree with the premise of the original question that many people (even within the ‘mystical’ approach) have gone way too far and I think it’s simply because SEGULOS ARE EASY. Think about it, if you are having a serious family issue, one rav tells you to improve upon your behavior and actually change your middos vs. another rav who says just say a certain kfitel tehillim and wear a red string – which would you choose???
Lastly, another two things to consider:
1) Every chumra has a counter ‘kula’. Meaning – if you advocate only buying certain hashgachos, you might be causing a monetary loss to other hashgachas and their certified foods/stores. If you require that davening should take a longer amount of time in shul, some people who can’t handle it, will just come later or stop coming. If you are more machmir on various hilchos ishus/niddah, you are decreasing amount of onah.
2) You always have to question what is the impetus for wanting to be machmir? Is it truly lishmah or is it rooted in ba’al gaivah…?
Also to comment on #1
I don’t think that being ‘machmir’ like a da’as yachid amongst the rishonim or acharonim always fits one of the two categories you set forth. However, I see many yeshiva guys following what used to be rejected shittos amongst the classic seforim merely to be “safe” according to every possible position. This is very different from removing doubt when there is a safek – here there is an accepted psak that one is choosing to transcend.
The biggest issue regarding chumros is that they are often put onto the masses when they should be applied only to the select few. In other words, the average frum person is not cut out to live a life that is as restricting as a major gadol. However, the current trend is to make it that every frum person must adhere to these chumros or else they are viewed as being not frum.
Anyone who does not realize that people are people and that even frum people do not all fit a certain category in terms of ability or desire regarding strictness of halachic observance is being naive.
Another thing to keep in mind when analyzing the authenticity of the modern day chilazon is how literally one should understand the various mamrei chazal that deal with techeles. For instance, the statement that the chilzaon only surfaces once in every seventy years and that it is very expensive as a result. Many positions hold (especially those in favor of the practice of wearing techeles) that it is unlikely that the animal only surfaces exactly once in 70 years, rather it means something that is rather scarce.
I believe that the Radzyner Rebbe, who was the one to reintroduce the concept of wearing techeles, thought that the techeles dye came from a certain squid. Later, Rav Hertzog, the first cheif rabbi of Israel, reviewed this position and cocnluded that the squid did not pass the tests laid out by the gemara in order to be real techeles (for instance the color would fade when instered into certain solutions.) After arriving at these results, Rav Herzog searched and found this snail (which is used by most of the techeles factories) that he felt passed all of the tests.
Remember that today when people see techeles on tzitzis it could either be from that squid (primarily used by Breslover chasidim) or the from the snail and that is the one that is endorsed by many of the litvishe rabbonim.
Here is a site with the possible evidence:
http://tekhelet.com/criteria.htm
“possible” added by moderator
There’s a not so famous story of the alter Satmar Rebbe zt”l: he was asked who to vote for in a certain election and he responded by advising to vote for the candidate who is more pro-Israel. The person asking the question was surprised by the response as he thought it to be contrary to his usual anti-Zionist position. The rebbe explained that while he (the rebbe) may not like the medinah, it is because of a reading of the gemara in kesuvos but the candidate who doesn’t like Israel, it is because he’s an anti semite.
A message that many so called “neturei karta” fail to understand. Anyone who could befriend the Palestinians, regardless of any halachic reasoning, should be totally excommunicated from the rest of the frum community. period.