I had the zchus to see Menachem Begin twice—both times in New York.
The first was in 1962, when he was still in the opposition. He came to Crown Heights and spoke on a Friday night in a large shul called Choivevei Torah. I was just a child, but I still remember the overflowing crowds and his Dvar Torah on Parshas Shemos. He spoke in both Yiddish and English, and the atmosphere was electric.
The second time was in 1978, when he was already Prime Minister and spoke at the Hilton.
This video is truly worthwhile. It portrays a great man in a deeply personal way—and it depicts a true “Son of Klall Yisrael.”
24 comments:
Radical charedim are a problem, so are radical zionists. I'd love to see a similar positive message from you about one of our many Gedolim you met over the years
One of the Gedolim I met was Menachem Begin, the other Gadol whom I knew well was Harav Meir Kahana z"l
I don't think you watched the video if you call Begin a "radical Zionist," and I don't think that you would know one if it hit you in fat face!
Menachem Begin was a Gadol? oh, I thought the title was reserved for Frum people. I guess not. After all, you heard a Dvar Torah from him. Whoopee do! Cory Booker also says "Divrei Torah". Thanks for revealing yourself as someone unqualified to offer his opinions on Gedolim.
Kahane Hyd was mostly telling the truth ober fort 1% apikorsis. Begin wasn't the worst but the Brisker Rov ztl didn't want anything to do with him. Really sad commentary on DIN to put it mildly that he refuses to name any recognized gedolim
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The man who gave away the Sinai oil fields and kept Gaza.
10:48
Did I mention Reb Binyomin Zev Jabotinski?
Sorry, I wanted to include him as well
12:24
The Brisker Rav didn't want anything to with him???
What exactly does that mean? That the Brisker Rav didn't want to have to do anything with a leader of millions of Jews who got democratically elected? That says a lot about the Rav . He is a Gadol???
3:37
I see you didn't watch the video, but you like to shoot your mouth off anyway!
Begin was not the leader of millions of jews he was the leader of the opposition who never had more than 15 seats when the brisker rav died. No idea if the clowns guy is correct about the br refusing to meet him. But even if that is true begins father hyd was on the vaad hakahal of brisk and there might have been issues that go back to brisk. Begins father respected and mostly listened to rav chaim and begins father got arrested for defending rav simcha zelig regiler hyd. Personally I think he is mistaking the brisker rav refusing to meet dbg because he was worried about chaniyfa lirishayim.
9:55
Until 9:55 commented I really thought that my readers were intelligent, but 9:55 proves that we have dummies also reading our holy blog!
9:55 comments, "ah- bee" to comment without having watched the video!
If he had watched the video he would have known that Begin was the PM and the leader of millions of Jews! and even when the Brisker was alive, Begin in the opposition represented millions of Jews, but according to these naive, clueless followers of anyone who has "tzeshluisina fuzzy peyos" is right even though that guy refuses to "have anything to do with another Jew" who sits in the Knesset and who fought Ben-Gurion tooth and nail.
Their Torah leader lived in a Jewish country that he, like the Pope, didn't recognize as a Jewish State
Very nice example how a Jew should behave!
Those of us old enough to have vote against Carter (twice) don't need to watch a video clip on DIN. We watched history being made in 1979 and those of us who followed world events knew then that Begin had accepted a horrible deal.
While I'm a big admirer of the late Menachem Begin a"h (I recently purchased an orinal printing of The Revolt at ransom pricing) I never drink anyone's Kool Aid. Signing an agreement forfeiting the oil fields and retaining Gaza and the agreement was a huge mistake. Great men can and do make great mistakes.
To 10:48, for the sake of veracity, Menachem Begin was a Frum person , was a Shomer Shabbos! Although he was not a Godol Batorah his Tafkid in life was not it the Talmud, but fighting the Leftist and Socialist in the early government of Israel. And in that he was a Hero! And therefore helped all those frum Jews who keep the Torah.
The Israeli census the year after the brisker rav died was 2,150,400 including Arabs. Your telling me that begin represented millionS. your being ridiculous he was in the opposition but was not a leader of the opposition for the first half of the time in question (only becomes leader of the opposition in 55) and even afterwards did not represent parties like mapam. Except for the fight against reparations at no point was begin an influential figure (to potentially change policy) during the 50s. In the last election during the brisker ravs lifetime herut got 107,190 votes. There is no way that equals a million supporters. Remember dbg hated begin and never referred to him by name. Im sure that meeting him would lead to very fruitful results. Maybe you forget how much of a dictatorship mapai ran. I have no idea if the brisker rav ever met with begin but I dont care if he did or didnt it .
Begin had more respect for the brisker rabanim them you do
7:37
I am an admirer of Menachem Begin and never was a fan of BG and his mapai! Having said that BG gets a lot of credit for leading a fledgling country in its early years and having the guts to proclaiming a Jewish State!
I also don't give a hoot whether the Brisker met MB or anyone else for that matter!
If as you stated the total population of Israel in that time was 2,150,400 that means that the Briskers must have totaled 14 1/2 talmidim! So they were basically irrelevant
5:21
Ypu didn't watch the video but that doesn't stop you from making comments!
7:39
So, according to your logic, the Brisker had no respect for anyone even one who respected him!
Begin was the first "religious" prime minister. Whenever he travelled abroad, he insisted on only kosher food at official events and often wore a kippah because, as he said, for the rest of the world he wasn't the prime minister of Israel but the leader of the Jewish people and we wanted to ensure all Jews could identify with him.
He held shiuim in Tanach in his home. He gave the Chareidi parties the power that they've come to abuse today because he wanted religious Jews involved in running the country.
What he and DBG had in common was the reason they didn't get along. Both men were consumed with saving the Jewish people and restoring their spirit and power. They had opposite views on how to do that and each couldn't stand the others but they both had the same goal. If only our leaders today cared as much.
Where did you see the information about Begin' a"h being shomer shabbos?
1. I'm not convinced that the the brisker rav never met begin in ey and certainly dont think if they happened never to meet it was for reasons that were described above (didnt want anything to do with him). There was a known story that said this regarding dbg, I think the commentator I was responding to is conflating the 2 stories.
2. Assuming the story was true maybe there was a reason for this that has nothing to do with zionisim remember one was the rav of brisk and the other it most famous former resident whose father was on the leadership of the town kehilla.
3. Begin was not politically important then so it is very unlikely that there would be those pushing the brisker rav to meet him, so another reason to doubt the story is true.
4. My issue is your sinas yisroel for attacking the brisker rav for what is likely a lie. The brisker rav is not the satmar rebbe and the brisker rav had much more in common with his uncle rav meir bar ilan than the satmar rebbe. Can you imagine (assuming he had one) the satmar rebbes son his claims to follow his father in everything being good friends with one of rav kook's main talmidim like the nazir?
5. Though completely far fetched but maybe the story is true and what happened is that the they were in the same shul and brisker rav was saying kaddish for either his wife or children who were murdered in the brisk ghetto and begin was saying it for either his parents or brother who were also murdered, and some fool told the brisker rav to go speak to him and he wanted nothing to do with it on a day of a yartzit of a massacre of their families.
3:54
Watch the video!
According to one of his biographies he used to speak on the phone on shabbos and was not shomer shabbos. He was the first prime minister to not be a michalel shabbos bifarhesya and went out of his way to show the world this.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Menachem_Begin/qeMu_6ELCH8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Shabbat%20
While one could claim it was all under pikuach nefesh it doesnt seem so (there is more evidence he wasnt strictly shomer shabbos)
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Menachem_Begin/qeMu_6ELCH8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Shabbat%20
But he was clearly not a michalel shabbos bifarhesya like I said before.
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