A number of prominent askanim visited the home of HaGaon HaRav Aryeh Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita, armed with a ‘kol korei’ regarding vacations during bein hazmanim. They called to refrain from organized group vacations at this time, especially in areas not totally chareidi. Such vacations have a negative educational impact on family members, the askanim explain.
Rav Shteinman jumped up, the weekly BaKehilla reports, with the Gadol HaDor stating that any bachor taking vacation now, even a day or two, enhances his abilities and performance following vacation.
The Rav explained that the result of the vacation is indeed visible the entire month of Elul and after that as well, question “even this you wish to take away from them?”
The Rav did not stop here, but went on to explain that every year mashgichim approach him to cancel the summer camps. They claim the bochrim are too wild in the camp setting. The Rav is quoted as saying “I maintain that the camps must indeed be run in a proper yeshiva setting but ultimately, the rosh yeshiva benefits directly from these camps. Attending the camps is indeed suitable and beneficial. Only severe monetary limitations and a lack of abilities may exonerate a yeshiva from organizing a camp”.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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19 Responses
why do the asskonim do this? I dont get it – what motivates them?
Note Rav Shteinman’s lashon, “EVEN this you wish to take away from them?”
This Dor is plagued with Askanim that have a “more righteous than thou” attitude!
אל תהיה חסד הרבה
who made all these people askanim they should get them self a real job
where has common sense gone? when I was in yeshiva some friends and I took advantage of a bein ha’zmanim by renting a car and driving to state park; we spent the day boating and then went for a cheap dinner when we got back to “the city.” on other days, we gathered a group and went to another park to play softball –
Someone needs to find these “askanim” jobs. They seem to always be on vacation, from both reality and work which gives them too much time to try and peddle this nonsense. Thank G-d R’ Shteinman stood up to these guys.
I want to vomit. I really feel sick from what these “askanim” are doing. They are ruining Jewish life.
B”H for gedolim such as HaRav Aryeh Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita.
Gedolei olam went to camp:
http://www.uoregon.edu/~rkimble/Mirweb/YeshivaStudents2.html
I think some people have too much free time on their hands to worry about narishgeit like this. There are more important things to worry about in life today!
Dear YWN Editor,
Please correct the oxymoron which is found in the very first sentence of this report. “Prominent
askanim” is a contradiction in terms. Nobody in the world is less prominent than one who tries to dictate to a Gadol and coerce him into rubber-stamping absurd proclamations.
What’s askanim?
#14 Anonymous – Askanim are supposed to be prominent people in the community that carry out the bidding of the gedolim. Unfortunately many have switched roles with the gedolim and try to coerce gedolim to sign on to their personal agendas.
Personally, I feel that many of the should be called beryonim.
when people don’t have money to go on vacation, and have tzars ayin on others, they will find a way to make themselves holy for some cause.
It is not suprising that so many young people go off the derech when all we hear day in and day out is that so many things that we take for granted are frowned upon. In our society it has become a shtick to show others that one is frummer than the other and antone that does not fit the mould is lookes down on.
In the mi shebeirach said on Shabbos, in some shuls it is said loud, we bless ho-oskim betzorchei tzibbur be-emuno. Those who work on behalf of the community trustfully.
The term trustfully has become watered down in the yeshiva world. No one takes shobbos oneg groups unless paid. Children don’t learn unless they are bribed with sweets. When they grow older the sweets are replaced with a stippend from the kollel.
If an askan has a hidden agenda from which he benefits either financially or politically, he is not acting be-emuno. He is not worthy of a misheberach.
#10: That’s not a photo of camp. And, if it is a photo of camp, then it’s not Mir bochurim. And if the guys are Mir bochurim, and it is a camp, then they were there only because their truck/bus/horse-drawn-water-cart broke down and they needed assistance. But, as is clear from the photograph, they left camp as quickly as they could, because we all know that the purpose of bein hazmanim is NOT to take a break and recharge our batteries, and that HaShem NEVER wanted us to tour the world and see His beautiful nature, and that the notion of going on group trips with friends is WRONG because the notion of being with friends and enjoying their company on a trip or while playing a game of ball or having a meal together is contrary to what anonymous Askonim would have us believe.
I’m not even sure it’s a photograph. More likely its something you drew and are now trying to pass off as a photo in order to be mevazer derech ha’Torah. Shame, shame, shame.
Da’as Torah V’Da’as Ba’al HaBatim Shnei Hafuchim Hem.
(Sma, in Choshen Mishpat Gimmel, Yid Gimmel, have a look)
>>>”What’s askanim?”
Comment by Anonymous — August 6, 2009
Self-appointed community activists with too much time and too much ego on their hands.
Vecho mi sheoskim bitzorchei tzibbur “BEMUNAH” certainly does not apply to these askonim.
How lucky that they did not just forge the signature and claim that the Rav signed it! Maybe that is what makes them so unusual….