Prominent NY Rosh Yeshiva Cites Lavish Weddings, Pilgrimages to Kivrei Tzadikim and Other Materialistic Excesses as Lessons of Coronavirus Pandemic

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NEW YORK (VINnews/Sandy Eller) – A prominent rosh yeshiva minced no words in a worldwide teleconference on the coronavirus outbreak, slamming the Jewish community for its misplaced priorities in both the financial and spiritual realms.

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Both Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, rosh yeshiva of Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, and Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Meor Yitzchok in Monsey offered words of inspiration and introspection during a Sunday night call in program arranged by the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation.

In his over an hour long address, Rabbi Wachsman spoke emotionally about the highly contagious virus that has brought the world to its knees, noting tearfully that in addition to taking lives it has shuttered shuls and yeshivos across the globe.

Drawing on the words of Chazal, Rabbi Wachsman observed that that unfathomable and frightening reality is prophetic, warning us that we need to search our souls and find the divine message that is being sent our way as we spend our days in solitude.
Click here to hear Rabbi Wachsman’s full remarks.

Turning to the Chumash, Rabbi Wachsman noted that there were three instances of plagues that swept through the Jewish nation. The first took place when the golden calf was constructed in the desert, the masses dancing frivolously around the metallic idol. The second plague occurred during the time of Korach, brought on by malicious attacks on Jewish leadership, unwarranted hatred and divisiveness, with the final incidence was a direct result of promiscuity.

The parallels to today’s world are unmistakable, said Rabbi Wachsman, taking aim squarely at the conspicuous consumption that is everywhere in our communities that has spread through our lives, much like a contagious virus.

Rabbi Wachsman said that he has seen lives destroyed by materialistic pursuits, with parents spending seven years to pay off the cost of a single wedding. The marriages that have taken place this week, with all of the frills and extras stripped away, should be examples for us of what a true Jewish wedding should look like.

“What are we getting for our money?” asked Rabbi Wachsman. “Just misery, a life of slavery. How can a sane nation, an am chochom allow such a thing to happen to us?”

Rabbi Wachsman had equally strong words for the many luxury products advertised in our Jewish publications as well as “ridiculous vorts that nobody wants to attend,” “meaningless vachtnachts,” lavish kiddushim and trips to Europe to visit holy sites, an industry he described as excessive and “an embarrassment.”

“How many millions, hundreds of millions must we pour into the hands of the children of our murderers?” queried Rabbi Wachsman. “How can we travel to tzadikim when we can owe thousands of dollars in schar limud or. chovos? The tzadik doesn’t want us. The tzadik doesn’t need us then. He wants us to live al pi Torah.”

Coming out strongly on another front, Rabbi Wachsman described lashon hara, particularly when spread electronically, as yet another infection going viral in our community and spoke about the destructive effects of conflicts that create terrible rifts within the Jewish community.

He called on listeners to use the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to formulate a new understanding of life and truth, both on the personal and communal levels.

“We don’t know where this is going to end,” said Rabbi Wachsman. “We’re hoping that this is going to end with Moshiach, but if it doesn’t end with Moshiach, chalila, what are we going to do, how are we going to back? We must never go back to abnormal. We must never, ever go back to the whole abnormality, this senseless, totally out of control existence.”


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256 Comments
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Judith
Judith
4 years ago

Why doesn’t he mention the slave wives and parents who are forced into supporting kollel husbands ? It’s against Jewish tradition on the universal scale that it has become .

John Smithson
John Smithson
4 years ago

Ridiculous Passover trips as well

Klezmer
Klezmer
4 years ago

Uh, no. The deadly C-Virus is caused by a novel mutation of a VIRUS that was first identified in the 1920’s. Blaming the victims is medieval and sounds like when xtian evangelical Jerry Falwell blamed Teletubbies kid show for AIDS. Or when Jews were blamed for the Black Death. Time for OTD yet?

Esther F
Esther F
4 years ago

Rabbi Wachsman, I will tell you why this is happening!! You throw out and dont accept our boys into your Yeshiva so the Eiberster says I dont need your Yeshivas and closed everyone down. Dont blame everyone else! First look at yourself!!

observer
observer
4 years ago

I recall Rabbi Wachsman’s own wedding in England – lavish beyond description with a Concorde flight for his friends – and much more! Those in glass houses should not be the ones throwing stones. Let him apologize for his past excesses first!

Seen it all cynic
Seen it all cynic
4 years ago

Bingo

Jake
Jake
4 years ago

I don’t think he said that’s what caused it, rather what we need to learn from it. Big difference, please correct the article. He was spot on and spoke really well!

BklynMom
BklynMom
4 years ago

The real reason is not about expensive weddings etc, people need to use their own brains. Anyway financial ruin is the real punishment.
The real reason: yeshivas and BY’s choosing “who will live and who will die“ by selecting the “best” to fulfill their own egos!

Elephant
Elephant
4 years ago

Rabbi talk about accepting boys into yeshivas. Very easy to talk about problems pertaining to other people. You are the Rosh Yeshiva please accept anyone that wants to learn hashems torah.

Y. Berkovits
4 years ago

Corruption, money worship, look no further.

Shlomo
Shlomo
4 years ago

But Heshy says this has to do with gays marching! Oy vey! So many theories..

Issey
Issey
4 years ago

“Why doesn’t he mention the slave wives and parents who are forced into supporting kollel husbands ? It’s against Jewish tradition on the universal scale that it has become .”
Avraham Aveinu worked, Yitzchak Aveinu worked Yaakov Aveinu worked.All of Yaakov Aveinu ‘s sons worked,Moshe Rabenue worked ,Dovid Hamalach worked.

Speaksoftly
4 years ago

We will always find something wrong with someone else – let’s all look within. Truly that’s all we control- change ourselves, change the world.

Chessed
Chessed
4 years ago

Any attempt at giving reasons is playing G-D.
We have no clue why G-d does things. Each person individually can take this opportunity to do soul searching and improve themselves, that is always a good thing to do. We have no clue why this happened, and there is no point in trying to figure it out. a

Just a thought
4 years ago

Please change my name to anonymous, or a simple person, from Y. Berkovits. Thank you

Oberchuchem
Oberchuchem
4 years ago

I think he has some point. Personally, I think the maigaifa came about to force yidden to literally step back into their homes and make a cheshbon hanefesh on how they could improve themselves going forward. We’ve become too involved with the outside world’s gashmius and this may be Hashem’s way to force a time out for soul searching and introspection.

boruch shpiel
boruch shpiel
4 years ago

Creator: you’re my creation, stop worshiping Rebbunim who cant even guide themselves.

Rebbunim: lo b’shamayim he, get lost GOD

Old lkwder
Old lkwder
4 years ago

Amazing how so many people know exactly why things happen in the world.
If you all know what caused it maybe you have the cure?

Jack
Jack
4 years ago

Hey OTHER JACK. Why Don’t you comment, using a different name instead of hijacking someone with the same name that’s been actively commenting on the VIN FOR WAY LONGER THAN YOU’VE BEEN.

cool masmid
cool masmid
4 years ago

The title is so blatantly false. I was in fact just listening to his speech when I scrolled down vosizneias to see ‘the lastest’. Nowhere in his speech did he say or even imply what the title on this story suggests. Rabbi Wachsman was emphasizing the importance of us looking at our actions and our deeds at such a difficult and challenging time. And how we need to make real changes in our lifestyles. And yes he rightly brought up lavish weddings and the way some of these pilgrimages to Kivrei Tzadikim are run. But he in no way suggested that these are the reasons for this global epidemic.

Honest
Honest
4 years ago

Technology – Well it helped quite a few realize before some others got around to it that this was something to take seriously and avoid crowds such as in shul.

Saying this is because of this or that, ignores the serious lack in a d’oraisa of safeguarding one’s life that occurred here. Would have been nice for him to address the outright violation of such a d’oraisa (as opposed to sheitels, davening, learning, lavish events, etc). It is like it kind of shows that too many are frum by rote and lacking otherwise. I get it, the other issues are important in general, but to tell people that when this is over they should commit to A, B, or C because that is what this is showing is a hard pill for me to swallow now.

Mark Levin
Mark Levin
4 years ago

Let the kvetchers and עמי הארץ מדאורייתא of VIN world come out with all their stupid and asinine comments.

Coronavirus G-ds response to gay marriaget
Coronavirus G-ds response to gay marriaget
4 years ago

All the rabbis explaining why it happened are correct.

Triumphinwhitehouse
Triumphinwhitehouse
4 years ago

I agree with him, if anything he spared too many.

Torah jew
Torah jew
4 years ago

I’ve heard this metzorah locked up = lashon harah stuff for over a week and it doesn’t get smarter every time I hear it.

The gemara gives 7 reasons for tzoraas including murder and giluy arayus. If the orthodox Jewish community was not guilty on those 2 I could hear other ones.
We helped pass gay marriage (the legislators the orthodox vote helped put in, in ny and md was the margin of victory the left needed to pass these items. The orthodox community helped pass abortion in ny (one vote) and assisted suicide (1 vote)

The reason I think some of the rabbis are mentioning lashon harah is they don’t want any criticism and are responsible for murder and giluy arayus mentioned above. Plus things like covering up molestation kicking kids out of yeshivas and the like. We did all the above avaryas and more (drug money and stolen money for yeshivas, stealing another tzoras punishment) for 60 years for the mosdos, almost every single major evarya we communally did was for the mosdos, now we have no mosdos, no shuls, no yeshivas etc.

BillyW
BillyW
4 years ago

The only thing we’ve learnt from Corona is that the Emperor has no clothes. No-one listens to Gedolim. The Oilom does what it wants and justifies it by claiming a Gadol supports their position.
If a Gadol disagrees with you than it’s “The letter is fake” “He wasn’t asked the question correctly” ” He didn’t know all the facts” “He retracted in a letter no-ones allowed to see”
The lack of leadership, lack of Rabbinic Achdus, and dismal decision making is sadly the lesson we’ll take away from this.

was not so smart
was not so smart
4 years ago

If my ‘cousins’ gave me a few million I too would put it in the bank and go play poor (maybe by stating a Yehivah and collecting from each and all)..

simon herman
4 years ago

Wachsman; you are part of the problem. you have sme serious and unresolved Motzi Shem Ra dating from your teen years. Either be Mechazek or shut your vitriolic mouth. I refer to an incident when you were in Mir Yerushalayim.

Yosef Y.
Yosef Y.
4 years ago

Ah Yid, thank you for your insight. I appreciate that you brought the point and did not attack anyone. Kol Ha Kavod

jewish1st
jewish1st
4 years ago

IMHO this Holy Rabbi item of contention should be addressed when everything if good and well
i feel it insensitive and improper to use these challenging times we are in for IMHO pet peevs

Law5601
Law5601
4 years ago

There will be no Bas Kol advising as to why this happened. The days of Neviim have long since passed. Yet any maimon, clearly believes that there is a reason. The reason need not be singular to the nation as a whole. It may be a case of ” if the shoe fits”. Each person needs to look internally.
It is the job of Rabbonim to try and improve the masses with a message of teshuva. It will not always be comfortable. The mere fact that an individual can think of a “better” reason for the plague, does not make the first reason wrong. Our faults are not mutually exclusive. Additionally, if we will not accept heartfelt divrei mussar from anyone that is short of pristine perfection, then we will not ever accept divrei mussar. The naysayers dismissed the words of Yirmiya and Yeshaya as well. If for some reason you do not like the messenger, you can still focus on the message.

get real
get real
4 years ago

Give me break, Rabbi W wedding was the ultimate in excess and the was after his father in law lost tons of money, his kids wedding are high end affairs and he take trips to kevorim, look inward before you criticize
others. BTW his yeshiva dinners are pretty glitzy,
Everyone need to look what we can improve on, the rosh yeshivas should talk about the lack of yeshivas acceptance, cost of tuition and throwing out boys out of yeshivas.

Think about that
Think about that
4 years ago

Can this be because people excepted apikursis and voted for the WZO???
Not so pashut

7days
7days
4 years ago

Yes, they excepted it acceptionally, except they didnt.

Nevuah is supposed to return to klal yisrael, by the way, so yet another example of am aratzim opening their mouths and showing their gadolbatorahness.

Shehakol nihiyeh bidvaro. Al tikrei like this ela, haseichel niheyeh bidiburo.

yossie
yossie
4 years ago

i really cant believe some of the commentators here
the pyre bizayon hatorah
bizayon of a rav and a moreh haroah in clall yisroel
call hamevazeh talmid chochom ein trufah lmakosoi
you are playing with fire
he is right in what he says
we have created a sick world
and hopefully very soon when this is over we wont go back to the nonsense way we live

N. Oyb
N. Oyb
4 years ago

I don’t believe that Rabbi Wachsman was claiming that any of the issues mentioned are the know cause of this plague; he just meant to say that his lock down gives us a chance to learn where our priorities should be.

All of us automatically ascribe the cause of the epidemic to whatever our own pet beefs are.
You don’t like kollel wives working? Aha! That’s the cause! You think loshon hora is our worst thing? Aha! That’s the cause! Are you into the importance of “Asher Yotzar”? Aha! That’s the cause! Is bitul torah terrible? Aha! That’s the cause! etc. etc.

Fearer of Hashem
4 years ago

I want everyone to look inside himself and herself, critically, and find the seeds of teshuva.

Airing out sinas chinum on this blog simply cannot be the way forward.

John Smithson
John Smithson
4 years ago

When this is over people will go back exactly as before

Mr&Mrs AmHaAretz
Mr&Mrs AmHaAretz
4 years ago

One thing cannot be denied: with this novel coronavirus the entire world changed “in the blink of an eye.”
If feeling clue-less about what HKB”H wants AND what He does not want, why not take the hint from Rabbi Wachsman to turn to our Holy Torah b’yad Mosheh? (We find plenty of kvetching there, too.)
Ma’asei avot siman bonim, Chazal say. Likewise, it might be said, ma’asei HKB”H siman bonim.
And so we should take care.
Best to “think twice before you speak” and ”do not attack the messenger,” as the sayings warn.
Boruch Sheym kavod malchuto l’olam vo’ed.

Esther
Esther
4 years ago

Jewish first got it right! We all need chizuk now! We all need ahava and simcha!! iyH there’ll be plenty of time later for a depressing musser lecture.

Jihad
Jihad
4 years ago

I’m believe the main cause is based on reading all the negative responses nothing changed in the last two thousand years The Prudent thing is if you have something smart to say just keep your mouth shut.

Chanoch
Chanoch
4 years ago

I look thru all the comments and I understand that there is zero Achdus one Jew 2 Deios. Look up why the Curban happened
No one can tell why this Virus is around and no one should sermonize as if he spoke to HaShem and was told a specific reason
So yes of course we should look into ourselves and improve and certainly not insult one another and yes we should pray

qazxc
qazxc
4 years ago

If there are 15 million yiddin in the world today there are 15 million reasons Gd sent this pandemic, 15 million lessons to be learned, 15 million lives in need of improvement in avodas haborai.

Each one of us is responsible to perform a cheshbon hanephesh, to identify how they are responsible for the outbreak, how they can improve their avodas haborai.

It seems to me most of us are making cheshbonos and finding ways to improve. The problem now is too many people are doing cheshbon hanephesh for yenem, pointing out how yenem brought this magaiphah on us, how yenem needs to improve.

This crises has made me very self-centered. I see now it is all about me, Me, ME. I have made a long list of things I’ve done and things I should have done and will work on all of them.

Jay Orchard
Jay Orchard
4 years ago

There are more than enough ways in which the self-described frum community falls short in terms of living life with a sincerely frum hashkafa. We don’t need any Gadol to cherry pick cards from a deck (or two) of fault cards. All that is accomplished when one Gadol discusses some faults and other Gedolim discuss other faults that should be examined during the coronavirus outbreak is to add not having proper respect for “Daas Torah” to the list of our collective faults.

Ani mamin
Ani mamin
4 years ago

There are serious koifrim commenting here. Chazal tell us ain puronus bah loilum elah bshvil Yisroel. I’m sure some of you think that’s medieval. Probably techiyas hamaisim is also medieval. Maybe you should use this time to introspect about your belief In foundational Jewish concepts such as hashgachas Hashem, schar veonesh, emunah in divrei chazal and techiyas Medieval??

Avi
Avi
4 years ago

False leaders blame the people at a time like this!!! These rabbits sell Torah and G-d for their own profit and then chastise the Hamon Am for how we live. Seriously??? Never has their been a period in all of history where Jews were forced to spend so much of our disposable income on Judiasm. Yet we do it. Not only have we not tried to limit the “expenses” of Judasim, we have increased more and more: more learning, more shuls, more yeshivas, more Jewish education for every Jew, more programs for adult ballei teshuvah. And who do you think pays for it all? It’s certainly not either of the fools quoted in that article. And by the way, when those rabbits make simchas how many people do they invite? Who pays for that???? Oh yes, they pay for it with the Torah they sell for their own profit and gain. We need leaders who will see the good in the people. We need leaders who tell the truth and lead. Ignore these rabbits. Let them eat carrots and sleep on their own filth.

ah yid
ah yid
4 years ago

110 comments before me and I’m shocked at some of the comments. Imagine if a fire broke out in your house and instead of calling the fire department you and your wife argue who caused the fire. Your child G-D can’t breathe you need Hatzala asap. but you and your wife bicker over some petty issue. People we have a conflagration in front of us. Every sane person sees that what we are living through never happened in the history of mankind and we bicker and argue over stupidity. Go argue about his wedding, about his yeshiva. Attack the messenger. Is this what we should be arguing about when people, young and old are suffering and dying as we type this. There is a famous line We have met the enemy and it is us. At this time we should feel that Hashem is talking to us personally. Take a minute to see where YOU can improve. Say one perek of tehilim learn one line in shimiras halshon. Try to be kinder when you post something even if your anonymous. Be mekabel to treat our shul with more respect. Something, anything. May we be zoche to greet mosiach quickly.

Moshe
Moshe
4 years ago

Last winter when people were stuck in the massive snow storm (where people traveled 11 hours from lake wood to monsey and so-forth) a very humble Rov (not going to mention his name so as not to side track the topic) said we live in a time when we think we can predict an control everything with the amazing technology to make our lives as comfortable as possible

The Rov said lets break it down to what transpired the weathermen predicted snow starting noon time and changing over to rain by 1:30 pm so they left the mighty snow removal equipment in the depot thinking that what little accumulation there will be will melt from the rain before the rush hour the change over happens much later then was forecast accumilating a couple of inches on the ground people panicked left work early and the mighty snow removal equipment was useless since it could not move around to clear the snow
The Rov said before the holocaust people were changing with the times hasham sent a few signals you need to realize that i am the boss otherwise i will teach you a very painful lesson sure enough people ignored the signals hasham bought the hole coast and the rest is history
The rav was crying and begging lets take this mild inconvenience and learn from it if not who knows what type of pain we will be forced to endure so we adimit that we are powerless

we did heed his warning we have this horrible virus that has disrupted our lives and caused lots of pain

We need to yell to hasham only you are in control we can only do “teshuva” “tefila” “uzdka”

BillyW
BillyW
4 years ago

It seems we’ve corrupted what “Daas Torah” means. Here’s an example of true “Daas Torah” written thousands of years ago by a Gadol named Yeshaya. Imagine the Rabbonim of today speaking like this. How far we’ve fallen!

“Listen to Hashem, you leaders of Sodom. Listen to the law of our God, people of Gomorrah!”

“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?”, says Hashem. “I am stuffed from your burnt offerings and sacrifices of rams and the fat of cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls, lambs and goats. When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me!

“Your celebrations of Rosh Chodesh and Shabbos and your fast days, are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings! I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them! When you raise your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you might offer many prayers, I will not listen, because your hands are covered with the blood of innocents!

“Wash yourselves and become clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways; learn to do good. Seek justice! Help the oppressed and vulnerable! Defend the cause of orphans! Fight for the rights of widows!” – (1:10-17)

English
English
4 years ago

Make a website where people sign a commitment using verified real names to cap weddings at 80 people and $10,000.