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Radicals, Rebels, & Rabblerousers

: 3 Unusual Rabbis
#3 - Rabbi Menachem Nachum Friedman of Itscan [Stefanesht; 1879 - 1933]***
jrosenfeld@lss.org
____

1. Yated Neeman, Rosh Hashana 2001; Shabbat supplement, 31

_____
***All sources and some translations originally cited in chapter 6, How Times Have
Changed: The World of R. Menahem Nahum Friedman of Itscan, in: David Assaf,
Untold Tales of the Hasidim
[Brandeis: 2010]; pp. 175-204. My initial exposure to the
fascinating and
sui generis
Itscaner was sparked by this excellent and accessible
scholarly work. Most, but not all, of the Itscaners
seforim
may be downloaded for free
at Hebrewbooks.org, and printed.
1

2. Assaf, p. 176

3. R. Menachem Nachum Friedman of Itscan,

Divrei Menachem
; p. 148

4. R. Friedman, untitled
;
in:
Kvutzei Efrayim
(Seini) 5, nos. 7-8
(Tevet-Shevat 1926); pp. 49-53

Only that they will demand a religion of priests with a staff and whip in their hands, and an
explosive zealotry, to impose religion over the people as through the power of an inquisition,
with the old code: the ends justify the means, and with blood, fire, and pillars of smoke, and
with anger and callousness they wish to force religion upon people as a
gigit

People make a major mistake when they think that the scientific enlightenment comes to
destroy religion, only the
Hofnis and Phineas
in every generation who use religion as a means
towards some debased goal, the
Yoels and the Aviyahs
in the generation who receive graft and
bribes and pervert justice - the Torah is in their eyes only to do business with and as they wrap
their sins in a
talit
of the fear of Heaven, it is actually they who have destroyed and torn religion
asunder.

5. R. Friedman,
Peirush Man al Pirkei Avot
; introduction, pp. 13-14

6. R. Friedman,
Al ha-Emet veha-Sheker
; p. 21

If you were somehow able to escape the tree of heresy, then no doubt you will become
ensnared in the second tree, that of superfluous and spurious beliefs; immediately, he begins
to speak with him and prattle, and to exaggerate the trait of faith and he says: my son! you
must
believe
, just believe in everything perhaps this thing is also true maybe why should
you stick your head between these two edifices and be a seeker of knowledge, a researcher.
You might follow your understandings and your wisdom toward negativity - rather it is upon
you to believe with closed eyes. Until he becomes like the type {of cultish (=
min
)?} believer
upon whom the wise King said: a fool will believe in anything.
7. ibid, pp. 23-24

8. ibid, p. 29

Diplomacy is an artform of perverting, and circumventing the norms, twisting them with all
kinds of sophistry, the wisdom of diplomacy is as poisonous as a snake. Flattery, duplicity, and
lies, allowing falsehood to rule the world. The wise and distinguished French statesman,
[
CharlesMauricede]Talleyrandoncesaid:theaimofspeechistohidethought,andthe
resultofthisputridwisdom,thatistosay,diplomacy,iswhatoureyessee[WWI].

9. ibid, pp. 31-32

.
.

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Because the troubles of his poverty-stricken brothers is not his troubles, their dire state does
not impact upon him. He who is full cannot fathom hunger. His only focus is his own needs and
luxuries, and despite all this, they bow before him, and they will say in front of him lies,
flattering his greatness and philanthropy; and if this rich man comes amongst a group of Torah
scholars, and says before them some pithy Torah, which has neither
taam
or
reiach
[=
sweetness or meaning], then all the scholars around him declare: sweeter than honey!, like
a lock and key!, and so if this golden calf comes to some community gathering and says some
vacuous stupidity there which arouses disgust, nevertheless everyone will dutifully clap hands
and call out hurrah!
10. R. Friedman,
Al ha-Yofi
; p. 7 (trans. + commentary, Assaf)

___

11. Assaf, p. 193, 201

12. R. Friedman, untitled

;
in:
Kvutzei Efrayim
(Seini) 5, nos. 7-8
(Tevet-Shevat 1926); p. 52

Our Rabbis expounded to say and you shall love Hashem - that the Name of Heaven should
be loved on your account, that one should call out and teach and that ones dealings with
people be done in congeniality; just as people say praiseworthy is his father that taught him
Torah... X who learned Torah - see how pleasing and upright are his ways, and on this it is
written: Israel, amongst whom I am glorified.

- Eulogy of R. Friedman, by Avraham Kahana (Avrech),

Masot al Sofrim
ve-Anshei Shem ve-Divrei Hasidut
[Pshemyshl: 1934]; 21-22