The difference between a Chasid and a Litvak is as follows:
A Litvak uses his head and when the rain is coming down in wondrous sheets, he realizes he can do Tashlich a different day.
A Chasid states that rain, snow, fire, hail....nothing is going to stop him from performing the mitzvah today and doing so with the utmost joy.
Since Chasiddish and Bukharian blood flows in my veins, it's obvious which of these two categories I fall into. The Vizhnitzer Chasidim & the Lubavitcher Chasidim all gathered together by McCormick in the pouring rain and it was a party. Also, if you wash your hair in rainwater it comes out gorgeously soft to the touch (something I have realized because, of course, I would never wear a coat or a hat when there's an opportunity to go dancing in the rain.)
Shana Tova, y'all!
19 comments:
It is all a matter of timing.
My wife and I went to McCormick (at Touhy) to say Tashlich BEFORE the rain. The other members of our family who are in town went earlier; they returned before it even started to drizzle.
a good litvak won't do tashlich at all.
A good litvak will do tashlich during the week if he lives in a community where tashlich on R"H is also a social event and he's concerned about being drawn into the social aspects.
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Joel Rich
It's sad that you had rain in Illinois, but I am glad you found something good about it!
A Bukharian...wouldn’t even notice it’s raining..
And a smart person would wear appropriate rain gear... especially if they've been sick this past week.
the rav is quoted as saying "if i would have a choice of being the kohen gadol or being mechadesh torah, i would be mechadesh torah"
this was in reaction to the following story about a chasidish rebbe who used to say on yom kippur "vekach hayisi omer" (as opposed to our text vekach haya omer)
sorry, no print source at this time, but R' Rakkefet quotes this story many times in different lectures
Harryer,
But that is not the Rav's approach to Chassidus on a whole, not by a long, long shot (apropos to Rosh Hashana, for instance, the fact that he learned about the idea of coronation and crowning God from his Chassidic Melamed. And that all the lofty philosophy he read later on could still be distilled to those words of his melamed.)
chana,
Iiuc you owe R' Lustiger a nod of thanks for including that story in the machzor but Lmaaseh I would guess R'YBS sat in the sukkah on shmini atzeret :-)
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Joel Rich
The fact that the Rav was a Mitnaged no one will deny; the fact that he respected and gained tremendously from Chassidut is also true. And you're correct, Joel, I thank the people who compiled the Rav Machzor for that particular example.
i was in Passaic for RH, and was about to go do Tashlikh (it wasn't raining there) when i decided i'd much rather do it in a place where i know the watershed. I find it makes for much better kavana when you can imagine exactly the path your sins/regrets/etc. are taking from where you throw them into the water down all the way to מצולות ים.
-- and the same goes for rain in the sukkah
Anon 8:36,
It's funny you mention that, because last year I was dubbed an honorary man due to the fact that I ate lunch in the sukkah despite the rain. My father and my brothers had coats but I didn't. We braved the rain, I got soaked and we were all happy we fulfilled the mitzvah- Chassid style. ;)
which machzor are you talking about?
Dude,
The R'YBS one-edited by R' Arnie Lustiger
GCT
Joel Rich
Dude,
The R'YBS one-edited by R' Arnie Lustiger
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Joel Rich
The Rebbe who said V'Kach Hayeisi Omer was the holy Ohev Yisroel, the Apter Rov ZY"A. He also said that he was one of Lavan's sheep among other things in other gilgulim.
Ahh, ok i got it - "MACHZOR MESORAS HARAV: ROSH HASHANAH" this one right?
Got one, for Yom Kippur. Thanks for recommendation
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