I wrote once a whole book of memoirs. It has thankfully been lost with time. Still my memories contain a good deal of facts that relate to modern issues. For example my experiences with Shelomo Freifeld. It would take a whole new book to go into that. But mainly my point would be this. There are no simple answers. They write books today about him. And they say he was a tzadik. And that might very well be true. But he was more of a rosh yeshiva than a tzadik. And there is avast difference. But I do remember that in his yeshiva there was an amazing spirit of Torah that swept me off my feet. I was so involved in Torah that every second away was like torture.
And that was when I met his son in law Naphtali Yeager. Naphtali had a deep way of learning that I have never seen afterwards. Later I went to the Mir in NY and I was not disappointed. But there was something missing in the Mir that I had felt in Reb Freideld's yeshiva.
But that is all I can really say about this because it all just raises questions in my mind about what was really going on. These are questions I have had ever after and never found any kind of satisfactory answer.
I should mention that Reb Freifeld did not think much of me. Nor did any of my teachers--ever. And their critiques of me were always justified. This is a subject not for now, but I am no tzadik--never was and never will be. But I do love the Torah. And I still think that learning and keeping Torah is the greatest thing on earth. --Even if I can't do it myself.
Some facts about Shar Yashuv, the yeshiva of Rav Freifeld. It was geared to bring people up to speed in learning the Talmud. And it was mainly about "עיון" learning in depth. The idea of בקיאות learning fast was frowned upon. Nor was there any Musar סדר period of time devoted to Musar. השקפה the world view that was advocated was derived from Rav Isaac Hutner.
There was a a Breslov fellow that used to come into the place. David Dun.This person I could never figure out. He would invite me over for Shabat (Friday night) and when I would come to his home after the regular prayers on Friday night no one would be home. There was one bachur there who was connected with Breslov (i.e. Rav Shick). It was from him I got the book of prayers of Reb Natan. But Rav Freifeld did not allow any evangelizing of Breslov in his yeshiva.
And that was when I met his son in law Naphtali Yeager. Naphtali had a deep way of learning that I have never seen afterwards. Later I went to the Mir in NY and I was not disappointed. But there was something missing in the Mir that I had felt in Reb Freideld's yeshiva.
But that is all I can really say about this because it all just raises questions in my mind about what was really going on. These are questions I have had ever after and never found any kind of satisfactory answer.
I should mention that Reb Freifeld did not think much of me. Nor did any of my teachers--ever. And their critiques of me were always justified. This is a subject not for now, but I am no tzadik--never was and never will be. But I do love the Torah. And I still think that learning and keeping Torah is the greatest thing on earth. --Even if I can't do it myself.
Some facts about Shar Yashuv, the yeshiva of Rav Freifeld. It was geared to bring people up to speed in learning the Talmud. And it was mainly about "עיון" learning in depth. The idea of בקיאות learning fast was frowned upon. Nor was there any Musar סדר period of time devoted to Musar. השקפה the world view that was advocated was derived from Rav Isaac Hutner.
There was a a Breslov fellow that used to come into the place. David Dun.This person I could never figure out. He would invite me over for Shabat (Friday night) and when I would come to his home after the regular prayers on Friday night no one would be home. There was one bachur there who was connected with Breslov (i.e. Rav Shick). It was from him I got the book of prayers of Reb Natan. But Rav Freifeld did not allow any evangelizing of Breslov in his yeshiva.
