Translate

Powered By Blogger

3.7.21

There is some sort of problem with Torah scholars that are demons [mentioned in the Zohar parshat Pinchas that seems to cloud the issue of keeping Torah. [This often comes up in conversations with people that have found their lives irretrievably ruined due to these so called Torah scholars. This is an amazingly popular subject among people that have tried to keep Torah, but then find that the supposed representatives of Torah are demons--in the picturesque language of Rav Nahman. ] That is you might find a person that is seriously devoted to keeping Torah, But then he encounters one of these demons that dress and talk like true Torah scholars. This makes the whole possibility of keeping and learning Torah difficult. For he might fall for the deception and be pulled into the net of the demons, or he might give up on the whole possibility of learning and keeping Torah.   At least it is helpful to know that someone deals with this problem as is brought in the LeM of Rav Nahman. [Lem vol I 12and 28. But also mentioned many times in the LeM, e.g., vol I 61 or vol II perek 1 and perek 8. ] Even of one is suffering from the troubles caused to him or her by being fooled and tricked by these Torah scholars that are demons, still it is a comfort to know that he or she is not alone. 
One solution to this problem is the yeshivas founded in the path of the Gra, i.e. straight Torah with no pretenses. However the demons have extended their reign so far as to enter, and sometimes even take over these basically good places. I personally have not found a solution to this problem except to try to learn Torah in my own space--as far as I am able--which is not very much.
[I might mention here that in fact I am not in a place where there is any straight Litvak yeshiva. If there was, I might very well change my approach and try to learn there. I have hear that there are extensions of Ponovitch in different areas. but I have not heard of anything like that near my area. Recently. I saw  a group from the Aderet Eliyahu [based on the Gra] just visiting from Jerusalem, but so far I have not heard of any real presence of a Gra sort of yeshiva in this area. [I might add to learn the the Birchat Shmuel--also a disciple of Rav  Chaim of Brisk and Rav Naftali Troup. I do not know of learning these could take the place of  an authentic Litvak yeshiva but nowadays, learning at home might be the only possibility because the immense confusion that exists in the Torah world.   




[I should mention that Torah scholars that are demons  is a wide spread problem in the Torah world. It is almost impossible to avoid unless one learns at home. So what one might do is simply get some of the basic Torah books, e.g. the Chidushei of Rav Chaim of Brisk  and learn at home.[Or the book of Rav Shimon Skopf, or the Avi Ezri.]  

The Ari'zal [Rav Isaac Luria] says in this world the evil is the majority. So if one finds that someone is presented as a great tzadik, the likelihood is that he is a demon
 should at least be taken as a possibility.