If you want to read the biographies of Gedoilei Yisrael, all you have to do is buy one book of one random Gadol from Artscroll, the rest will read the same.
The Gadol portrayed in Artscroll books was born a genius, knew the entire Shas by the time he was six years old, never got angry, was never wrong, and was the biggest baal chesed and the most caring person in the world.
The truth is that this is not true at all, some went to public schools, some never opened a sefer until after the bar-mitzvah and some had parents that weren't frum. Some were fervent Zionists (Chas Ve' Sholom) and some like Rav Eliyashiv and Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach had Rav Avraham Yitzchok Kook z"l as their Mesader Kiddushin. One great Gadol had severe Shalom Bayis issues. Many had children that went off the derech. One particular Gadol that comes to mind had a son that converted to Christianity. Many were wrong in their predictions and in their Halachic rulings, but you will not get any of this from their bios.
You see Artscroll is holier than the Tanach. In the Tanach all Gedoilim are presented with their flaws and blemishes, and not one frum Jew would think of them any less. But the gedoilim of the present century, according to the Artscroll bios, were absolute melachim who never did anything wrong in their entire lives.
In the interview, R' Gedalye Zlotowitz says that he is not "re-writing" history, he is only "omitting" certain information, and that the bio is meant to "inspire."
R' Gedalye is being disingenuous when he says that this was "his father's idea"
His father's first Bio was of the Netziv, it was called "My Uncle the Netziv" and was translated from the Hebrew version of "The Netziv" which was written by Rabbi Baruch Halevie Epstein, who was the author of the famous commentary the "Torah Temimah.: Rabbi Epstein was the nephew of the Netziv. In his biography of his uncle he nonchalantly mentioned that the Netziv read secular newspapers. When Artscroll originally released the book, they included this tidbit. But after tremendous pressure of the Yeshivishe Roshei Yeshivos, Artscroll recalled the book and reprinted it without the "newspaper" story. So when Gedalye says that Artscroll is omitting information that would put the protagonist in a bad light and make him sound normal, he is lying, it was omitted because of pressure.
Omitting uncomfortable truths is akin to rewriting history. Presenting a glorified and sterilized version of history isn't "inspiring" in fact it's incredibly harmful. It presents an impossible model of how a great person is supposed to look like, void of humanity and weaknesses, and lying by omission is still lying.!
‘You’re aware that the academic world mocks Artscroll...’ Candid, insightful conversation with @artscroll president Rabbi Gedaliah Zlotowitz on our newest Take 2 https://t.co/ob6320PMeg pic.twitter.com/SphyxUtyBR
— Mishpacha Magazine (@themishpacha) November 3, 2021
6 comments:
R' Shimon Schwabb, the ish emmes, held this was the proper approach.
jewinjerusalem
He must have never opened a Tanach
Was the book "My uncle the Netziv" published by Artscroll? Check the facts. Artscroll's first book was the Megilah. The Netziv book was much too frank about the terrible fights in the family and some injustices perpetrated.
Maria
I own the book,,,, the original version and it's published by guess who? Artscroll
Inspire to do what, follow getchkes (shamans)? No thanks, gedoylim (feces) need to be flushed. Too smelly, see link.
"Depending on the individual and the circumstances, human beings may defecate several times a day, every day, or once every two or three days. Extensive hardening of the feces that interrupts this routine for several days or more is called constipation.
The appearance of human fecal matter varies according to diet and health.[11] Normally it is semisolid, with a mucus coating. A combination of bile and bilirubin, which comes from dead red blood cells, gives feces the typical brown color.[1][2]
After the meconium, the first stool expelled, a newborn's feces contains only bile, which gives it a yellow-green color. Breast feeding babies expel soft, pale yellowish, and not quite malodorous matter; but once the baby begins to eat, and the body starts expelling bilirubin from dead red blood cells, its matter acquires the familiar brown color.[2]
At different times in their life, human beings will expel feces of different colors and textures. A stool that passes rapidly through the intestines will look greenish; lack of bilirubin will make the stool look like clay."
According to Artscroll,the Torah should not discuss the story of Yehuda and tamor,the selling of Yosef by his brothers,the golden calf,the sin of the spies,etc.The Torah did not hide things but they do. They want to be more holy than the Torah. Oy vei.
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