I wish I could find a better picture, meaning not one that appeared on the cover of the Artscroll ve

I wish I could find a better picture, meaning not one that appeared on the cover of the Artscroll version of his life, but that's what Google offered, so there. (What little I know about Yonason Rosenblum, that is from reading his articles, I can't believe he was the best candidate to write THE BOOK about Rav Dessler). The revision that they have done to so many Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshivah are probably some of the greatest literary crimes committed since the fall of the Soviet Union. In the case of HaRav Dessler, I can say this much : While learning 29 in a non-Lubavitch 29 Yehivah, the Maggid Shiur, may he be well, learned Michtav Me'Eliyahu with us every day, reading from the Sefer while we listened. That was no conincidence. He was not what you'd call a "Misnaged" but rather a Talmid of Beis Medrish Elyon in it's early years, who appreciated all Erliche Yidden, 29 and Tanya and Chabad were part of that. Rumor has it when the venerable Mashgiach 29 "Reb Chatzkel", (Chatzkel Warshaver) came to Ponovezh after Rav Dessler's untimely passing, he commented: "It'll take years to "undo" the Churban that he did to the Yeshivah". That's right, to the radical 29 Mussarites, anyone who even "noshed" from Chassidus was bad, even a grandson of the Salanter. Some of you may know by now, that in 5713, a year before his passing, Rav Dessler 29 began to work on organizing 29 a Yeshivah that was not heard of until then. Namely, a Yeshivah that would combine the Liyvishe style of learning 29 with the Chassidic style of everything else. A Rosh Yeshivah was found, HaRav Gedalia Hertz of Yeshivas Chidushei HaRim in Tel Aviv, but it went no further. Before it could be started HaRav Dessler passed 29 away, and with him died his dream. Today there are Yeshivas that claim to have that combination, but without a true Litvishe Mashgiach like RD their claims are worthless. There is much more to write, but now is not the time. Maybe for the Yohrtzeit in Teves. What brought 29 HaRav Dessler to mind was the fact that today was the Yohrtzeit of Reb Yitzchok (Itche Der Masmid) Gurevitz , who was burned al Kiddush Hashem together 29 with Reb Chatshe Feigin and Reb Eli Chaim Althaus in Riga in 5702 (hy"d). These were the Chassidim closest to the Rebbe. They had the necessary papers arranged by the Rebbe in New York, but the Nazis had already entered Riga and no one could leave. His son-in-law HaRav Geldzahler in his sefer "Kodshei Yehoshua" recounts how Reb Itche was the Dessler's guest in England in the '30s when Reb Itche was there to collect money for Yidden in the Soviet Union. He spent every available minute with Reb Itche and called those days הימים הכי מאושרים בחיי (his most pleasing days) He never stopped speaking about those days. This from a Yid who saw all the Litvishe "greats", and was a descendant of Rav Yisroel Lipkin of Salant. Tells you something about Chassidus, Rav Dessler, and Reb Itche. Even more so it tells you about how some of us have become so square and boxed in.
Not a bad post,IF,you had left your Chabasker hubris out of it. Can't you just focus on the positive, in your eyes at least,of Rabbi Dessler being open to Chabad ideas and incorporating some of them in his sefer?Instead you attach ehrlicheh yidden. To give you some of your own medicine:I was reminded of a missionary poster 29 I once saw regarding the Rebbe and moshiach:Right idea,wrong man Monday, December 12, 2005 12:22:00 PM
VML I allow you to speak openly, yet you've yet to make a solid contribution. It's always the same with you, and it's very childish to boot. Which part bothered you? Monday, December 12, 2005 12:35:00 PM
Interesting post. I would like to respond to some of what you wrote : 1) Yonoson 29 Rosenblum is very talented 29 and intelligent and I think he does generally does a good job with things he undertakes (I think he wrote 'Reb Yaakov' too and did a very good job). Who did you want to wtite the book instead ? Presumably he was asked to do it and no one else was doing it. Did you want to wait another fifty years till someone might sit down and do it ? 2) The book does mention Lubavitch. As I recall 29 it says that Desslers davened in a Lubavitch minyan at one time when REED was young, as another local minyan had communists or the like there. Perhaps there is more too, but it's been a while since I read it. 3) You say that Rav Chatzkel was radical and imply REED was mainstream. I think it's the reverse. Rav Dessler's adoption of Lubavitch things was an exception among mashgichim and mussarites, not the rule. 4) I wonder which non-Lubavitch Yeshivah you learned Michtav Me'eliyohu at. 5) Re REED allegedly organizing a Yeshiva that "would combine the Liyvishe style of learning with the Chassidic style of everything else" - a) what is your source for that, b) what is meant by 'everything 29 else' ? What nusach would they daven ? Lubavitch ? Ger? Munkatch ? Would they wear gartlech ? Would they learn all Lubavitch 29 works ? Would they daven within zemanei tefilloh and kri