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Making Of A Gadol Thread

I have been referred to an interesting thread from last month about Making Of A Gadol in a website called frumteens. The teens had different opinions about the book and the ban, and while their opinions were not necessarily well-informed, I'm not sure that those of adults are any more informed, and it was nice to see frum teens expressing their views about the issue.

In middle of the discussion, the (presumably adult) moderator came in to blast R. Nosson Kaminetzky, "what the author did in this book is disgusting... trying drudge up closet skeletons of our Tzadikim - never mind that they are imaginary - is something for the National Enquirer, or for the secular world, but not for Torah Jews... The book is not only a total misrepresentation of the truth, it is a terribly disgusting and disrespectful thing to do." While a moderator is appropriate in a website for observant teenagers, he should have at least tried to take a more diplomatic approach in opposing the book. Apparently the moderator takes a very uncompromising charedi view on other issues, including Zionism, relations with non-Jews, etc. His opinions probably are not even representative of most charedim.

In response to the moderator's comments, two of the teens confused R. Nosson Kaminetzky with his father, R. Yaakov Kaminetzky. "No one can dispute that R' Yaakov is an amazing gadol, so how is it that we can say that something he wrote is disgusting?" asked one. Another stated "R' Yaakov is a great man and did not mean to write a 'tell-all' book - this wasnt like a tabloid advertising waht the gedolim do behind closed doors or something." Perhaps it's unfortunate that (at least some) frum teenagers don't know that R. Yaakov passed away in 1986; on the other hand, it may be understandable.
posted on 7/22/2003