Jossef Bear Soloveitchik (JBS) was the son of R’ Moshe Soloveicthik who was the son of the Great R’ Chaim Brisker.
Moshe Soloveitchik’s wife introduced great amounts of secular literature into the domestic nest, poisoning the family atmosphere.
The Great Reb Chaim is quoted as saying that his foresight made only two mistakes in life. World War I and Moshe Soloveichek’s Shiduch.
JBS went to Berlin University and studied Apikorsus (the philosophy of Hermann Kohen from the Mendelson school of thought.)
If one intentionally inserts himself into an atmosphere of Epikorsus, like a university, it is permitted to speak freely Lashon Harah about that person – Kitzur HilChos Lashon Harah, Haim Frieman Bnei Brak 1983, pg 34.
JBS’s thesis seems to has disappeared and is nowhere to be found! We demand that his family and YU make it available for public scrutiny!
While in Berlin he discovered his love for his future wife Tanya Lewitt.
What does “discovering his love” mean, studying Kant together at the University library? Come on Mrs. Meiselmann, talk English!
We demand that the Soloveichick family describe, in all it’s ugly detail, what exactly was the nature of their pre-marital relationship!
JBS’ father attempted to get JBS a job teaching at the Schechter Theological Seminary. (I lost my reference on this, but you YU historians must have it on hand somewhere). That means he attempted to work for a Conservative Seminary.
JBS headed YU for many years. YU promoted and promotes non-authentic Jewish ideology. Every Authentic Gadol beTorah held to this opinion.
Yes, it is true that almost every Gadol beTorah in America showed no public animosity towards JBS. Some also showed friendship, publicly, towards him.
This was a tactical behavioral decision on their part. They were simply concerned that if they would distance him further from Authentic Judaism, more than he had already distanced himself, this could cause a domino effect and many simpleminded Jews who were followers of JBS could go lost.
This is, for obvious reasons, not applicable today. Today “JBism” is today nothing less than a cult that has to be done away with.
In private forums JBS was clearly classified and abhorred by Authentic Gedolim for the impostor he really was.
Rabbi Aharon Kotler called JBS “Acher”, and said that all the Tumah of America rest upon his shoulders.
During his lifetime JBS undermined Authentic Jewish morals. The most famous one was his cowardly refusal to support the ban on girls being drafted into the Zionist army. Rabbi Kotler and Rabbi Mendel Zaks, the son in law of the Chofetz Chaim, wanted his cooperation and were unsuccessful getting it.
There were other areas where he undermined Authentic Jewish Halacha (See letters of R’ Eliezer Shach vol 4, 36)
His institution today enrolls openly declared homosexuals and other weirdos. How is this possible? Do the math.
JBS’s Divrei Torah are a Chulant of Breslov hallucinations, Kantian Philosophy, and Brisker Chilukim . We can accurately say that they are insignificant garbage and not worth the paper they are printed on.
Many members of JB’s family have returned to Authentic Judaism, like the Meiselman family as well as others.
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I think JBS also stands for “Just Bull S#$%”, forgive my Greek. Well it is well known the opinion of the BAAL heMeor at the beginning of Pesachim that when you must warn a Jew to stay away from something forbidden even dirty words are considered appropriate.
Well put.
I think JB’s ideology is particularly dangerous and insidious because he often cloaks absolutely treife ideas in the holy garments of Brisker lomdus.
To the untrained neophyte (indeed many Baalei Teshuva), his foul rubbish is sometimes perceived to be Torah Truth. Chas v’chalilah!
Yaasher Koach on working so hard to expose these fraudsters for what they are. It reminds of when Chazal tell us that the Chazir is singled out because it exposes its (cloven) hooves – proclaiming “Eat me! I am Kosher!” I think that one pig has taught another pig his tricks!
Why do you assume that any of his talmidim can return to authentic judaism after being shmadded by JB? Shuvu BANIM shovavim CHUTZ miACHER!
Why do you not discuss the AUTHENTIC torah position of the HOLY Debreciner RAV Zatzal on the KOPHER JB and his ilk?
Could you inform me about this?
The Debreciner Rav paskened that it is absolutely assur to read any book written by a YU “rosh yeshiva”.
When he was asked if this also applied to the books of JB, he answered that it applied all the more to JB, whose works are considered “mamesh nivul peh!”
Do you have a written source for this?
enjoy your seat in gehenim right next to every sonei yisrael thats walked this earth
If I DO go to Gehinnom, it could be for many reasons. One of them, however, will NOT be for spreading the truth about the great impostor: JBS
JBS headed YU for many years. YU promoted and promotes non-authentic Jewish ideology. Every Authentic Gadol beTorah held to this opinion.
Didn’t many “Authentic gedolim” give shiur in YU including rav Boruch Ber and Rav Shimon Shkop?
Reb Baruch Ber’s visiting YU is a Chidush to me. Any documentation of such needs to be examined before I can reply, but assuming you are correct I think you understand this was before JB’s time. Not that YU was Kosher then either, but it was far from what it evolved into in during JBS’ regime.
Regarding R’ Shimon Shkop, please see letter from R’ Yeruchem Levovitz ZAL the Mashigiach of MIR to R’ Shimon printed at the end of R’ Yeruchem’s sefer. R’ SHimon obviously regretted this.
Did you know that the treif hashkafos of the krum side of the holy Soloveitchik’s are being spread in Ramat Bet Shemesh by the son of the so-called Rabbi Aharon Soloveitchik?
Thank you for exposing an imposter in our midst. These shkotzim try to make us abandon our muchrach mesorah with their krum hashkafas.
With that in mind, do you think JBS’s books have a din of torah? To my regret I find that I possess one of his sifrei apikorsus. Can I throw it out? I certainly don’t want it in my house, chas veshalom one of my children should see it and be corrupted and I don’t want to place a michshol in front of anyone else by giving it to them. The best move is utterly destroying it, right?
I’ve read through many of your posts on YU and “the Rav,” and they have been truly enlightening. I think they are a must read, bigeder dah mah lihashiv liapikores. I mean, if I hadn’t read them, how would I know what crap (sorry for the language, but it’s mutar when talking about reshaim, right – as ploni almoni said on Septemeber 14) the other side is spewing. Here I am, cloistered in my Yeshiva, and I hear rumors about people trying to take down yiddishkeit by distorting it, but before reading what you wrote about those people at YU, I had no idea how true it was. And of course, one must spread information about them and publicly humiliate them, like the Gemara says – mecharfin es hachanifin.
Dover Emes, I couldn’t agree more. How could the rabbis at YU share the same title as Rabbi Bearmant? They seem like total opposites! Imagine having the chutzpa to, as Rabbi Bearmant so aptly says, undermine authentic Torah values and distort our gedolim, and call oneself “rabbi” to boot! As my rosh yeshiva says, when there’s a crisis one must close his book and take action, so yasher koach Dover Emes for leaving his sacred beis medrash to join the battle against this apikorsus! Im yirtzeh hashem we will stomp it out and restore achdus to klal yisroel.
With reference to the quotes from Reb Chaim and Rabbi Aharon Kotler, can Bearmant supply sources, or are these just things that every authentic Ben Torah knows?
The quote from Reb Aharon was related to me personally by the late Rabbi Yitzchak Waldman ZL, one of the most dedicated Talmidim R Aharon had. I heard it from Rabbi Waldman himself. The R’ Chaim quote is well known in Brisker circles, but I cannot supply an exact source.
This is the first time I’m reading your “Judaism” view. Its quite interesting to read. I like the line Reb Chaim 2 mistakes – 1. WWI and 2. Moshe Soloveichek. Will follow your view often.
Somebody sent me a e-mail that JB’s wife was a “BAALAS Tshuva” and this is a well known fact. Can anyone confirm this w/details?
TIA