Fixing Lakewood Forum

The Rosh Yeshiva Rav Wachtfogel Shlita is a man of action. When he feels strongly about something, he doesn’t just sit on his “Laurels”; he tries to fix the problem. One middah of the Rosh Yeshiva which stands out, is the tremendous empathy he has for brokenhearted people who come to him in tears. He is well known for going out of his way to take care of them. Be they yesomim, almanos, aniyim, or anyone else. One demographic coming to him for chizuk has unfortunately exploded in size over the past few years. More and more older bachelorettes have been turning to him for support. These single women are special individuals who to no fault of their own have not yet been zoche to find their zivug. They lead productive, fulfilling lives, and on the surface are happy. And the truth is that they are happy. But deep inside they have a painful emptiness. A deep longing to establish a family with a life-long partner at their side. In the Rosh Yeshiva they find someone who understands them. Someo...

Beautiful letter from YWN mailbag. The Cancel generation – "Kanaim" are running Klal Yisroel The gradual loss of Kovod for our present day Gedolei Yisroel   First it was the important ad in Yated that everyone is being Mechalel Shabbos in Japan. A full page announcing to Klal Yisroel that one must follow the Psak of the Chazon Ish. No one can Chas v’Sholom say anything to diminish the Kovod of the Chazon Ish ZTL. However, Klal Yisroel has been following the psak of the Gedolim of our Dor, Rav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv ZTL, Rav Yisroel Zev Gustman ZTL and Rav Shlomo Zalamn ZTL, all who pasken that we follow the Shita of Chachmei Yerusholayim and the Yidden in Japan are keeping the correct Shabbos.     This writer doesn’t have the chutzpah to discuss the actual halacha, but he does know that we have been following these Gedolim in all our Shailos and they were post Chazon Ish.  What was accomplished with the ad? That the Hamon Am can ignore when the present Rabbonim come o...

The founding pillar of  debate in Yiddishkeit is that it should be confined to a process of reaching the truth. This does not necessarily mean agreeing what the truth is, but it does mean that every aspect of our behavior must be guided by this principle. This is what it means to have a machlokes l'sheim shamayim. It does not mean that your intention is to "eradicate evil" etc. Rather, it means that the format of the machlokes is purely what will bring to k'vod shamayim. Rather than fighting to support and uphold your opinion, you should be working to collaborate on finding the truth. (מקור הדברים הוא מזהר בראשית ועיין מה שפירש בלבוש, וזהו עומק דברי גמרא קידושין את והב בסופה - לבסוף דייקא נעשו אוהבים, וזהו פירוש המשנה בסופה להתקיים כדאיתא בזהר שם.) There should be mutual trust and respect, and there should never be any aspect of the machlokes which would belittle the other party in any way. (וכמו שקבע מסמרות בזה ביערות דבש) The big issue with the MO of the "kanai...

A quick חזרה of the now famous heter that Bunim Laskin received to marry a giyores. Bunim asked the shaila to Rav Bess. He sent him to ask Rav Cohen who was matir. Detractors, led by Rav Bess and including Rav Fuerst, Rav Levine, Rav Kamenetsky, Rav Feinstein, Rav Fund, and others, disagreed with the legitimacy of the psak. Bunim felt their disagreeing with the legitamicy of the psak was due to not fully knowing the situation. Rav Forchheimer was consulted, and he recommended putting together a Beis Din to review the psak. He suggested names. After personally speaking to the family, they reached the conclusion that Rav Cohen's heter is legitimate. At the request of Rav Miller's son-in-law Yosef Kushner, (who is a member of the family,) they removed themselves from listening to further, new testimony that he claimed would change the psak. At the behest of Rav Wachtfogel and the family, another Beis Din was formed. To make a long story short, after conducting an independant inves...

Below are the two letters that have recently been published regarding the Laskin kehuna question. (The supporting letter, although dated a few months ago, was first authorized for release in response to the opposing proclamation. Either way, the content is what matters in this case.) The question is how to square the two. While throughout history, we always find poskim arguing vehemently with each other, and we sometimes find some poskim speaking out strongly against a minor Rav; we do not find that many names (albeit some of them inconsequential, and only there add signatures,) should sign against a major Beis Din (which is mesader an average of 3 gittin a week,) with big poskim on the Beis Din and so many major poskim supporting the psak and the Beis Din. (See previous post on the topic with more signatories. https://fixinglakewood.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-collection-of-rabbanim-supporting.html) Especially about a case which already went to another Beis Din, and from there to additiona...

  The Neis Gadol of American Yiddishkeit: From Churban to Geulah in Our Own Times We must be makir and thank Hashem for the incredible hashgacha pratis that we are zoche to witness in our generation! The transformation of Yiddishkeit in America over the past decades is nothing short of a neis niglah that many of our current yungeleit and bochurim simply cannot fathom in its full depth and breadth. The Yeridas HaDoros of Early American Yiddishkeit The matzav of Yiddishkeit in America's early days was, Rachmana litzlan, in such a bad place that it's painful to recall. In the mid-19th century, Reform Judaism—that terrible deviation from our mesorah — spread rapidly across America, advocating a formal relinquishment of the very traditions that define our connection to Hakadosh Baruch Hu . The assimilation was so rampant that many Yidden were, nebach, completely disconnecting from their roots. The kehillos of yesteryear were, sadly, not what we would recognize today as frum com...

 There are rumors that Rav Moshe Hillel and Rav Dov plan on making a big announcement about Keren Hatorah Haolami. It seems this announcement may actually be at Adirei Hatorah! Stay tuned for the details. Anyone with more information to please post in the comments or send to fixinglakewood@gmail.com as investigations are still under way. UPDATE: At this time, it seems they are not planning on attending Adirei Hatorah https://fixinglakewood.blogspot.com/2025/05/keren-hatorah-haolami.html

Farsighted -  "unable to see things clearly, especially if they are relatively close to the eyes" "כל הנגעים אדם רואה חוץ מנגעי עצמו" - At an individual level, a person does not pick up on his own faults. The same holds true on a communal level. We as a community suffer from farsightedness. We do not see things clearly when they are close to home. While we may detect flaws such as abuse in our community, we do not pick up on issues much closer to who we are. The closer the issue, the less we see it. Take for example the loss of the concept of what it means to really be a talmid chacham and the current approach most yungerleit take to their learning. Definitely flawed to the core, but something we tend to excuse away. We can get so caught up in what seems to be major important issues when in reality they are small nuances that don't really have an effect on the community. While it may seem that the differences between Eitz and Gimmel or the pro-WZO camp and the a...

 Keren Olam Hatorah is a fund that provides money to all yeshivos and kollelim in Eretz Yisrael. Adirei Hatorah is a similar fund which provides money to one yeshiva in Lakewood. We have received credible reports - and this may be the subject of a later installment in our investigative journalist's series (see previous post) - that plans are underway to change this. There will instead be one massive fund for all of international Torah infrastructure, with a complex, nuanced system of allotment of funds. It will be called Keren Hatorah Haolami. The plan is still in its infancy stages and will not yet be in place this year. The conversation continues in the comments. Do you feel this is a good idea? What is the best system of fund allocations? What should be the requirements for an institution to qualify? What is currently the answer to all this and more in the Israeli Keren Olam Hatorah? (Anonymous comments are anonymous even to us. Even to Google.)

 After much investigative work, we have uncovered the following. It seems there is a plan underway to slowly change the dynamics of Lakewood power. We will be featuring a series of articles on this topic written by one of our esteemed journalists. The following is his first article on the topic: Lakewood, New Jersey: A Community at the Crossroads For years, a heavy silence has hung over Lakewood, New Jersey - a silence born not of peace, but of resignation. The town, once a beacon of spiritual growth and communal unity, has come to feel, for many, like a dystopia ruled by a single, unyielding power: the ruling cabal. Their grip, forged through a radical worldview and an insatiable thirst for honor and control, has left deep scars across every layer of the community. Rabbanim, Roshei Yeshivos, and ordinary families alike have felt the weight of this dominance; none have been spared its reach. The ruling dynasty, whose legacy stretches back to the founding of Beth Medrash Govoha in...

 We are seeking to make a forum where people can publish shtiklach torah - sort of an academia for shtiklach torah. We are now accepting shtiklach via email - fixinglakewood@gmail.com We are working on devising the best mehalech of how to do this and ideas and tech know-how would be very welcome. This is still at a very rough stage, so please comment with ideas and advice,

Chapter 1 The Chafetz Chaim's issur In the 1920s, Klal Yisroel was in flux. Life in Russia, the center of Judaism, had just undergone an upheaval, with all institutions defunct. Out of the ashes, various organizations attempted to step in the breach. The plan here was not limited to the benefit of their members, each of them wished to adopt the leadership of Klal Yisroel. They saw Klal Yisroel and their energy, messiras nefesh, and hopes, and wished to harness that to their ideals. Zionism was a real option, as difficult as it is to see from our perspective. People were desperate for freedom, and saw how this movement promised them the moon. Of course, the flip side was that Zionist leaders were almost all non-frum or even anti-frum, and the frum perspective was barely tolerated. Gedolei Yisroel attempted to rebuild Klal Yisroel through Agudas Yisroel, Yeshivos, and newly built Kehillos, in Poland, in direct opposition to the Zionist dream. The dream of Zionism was seductive, both ...

 It is perfectly understandable that a married man who needs to prepare for Yom Tov, and who is hopefully responsible enough to learn when he can, would finish the zman on Rosh Chodesh. But why are we giving bachurim so much free time that is only detrimental to their ruchniyus? Sure, they need a break. Their mothers want to see them. Their help is needed. But a full month is a bit much! As it becomes more and more dangerous for a bachur to be away from yeshiva, perhaps it is time to reconsider this. And this is not just direct spiritual dangers. This includes that it is becoming easier and easier for a bachur to get caught up in wasting time. Also, what does this teach them about actually taking their time and their learning seriously. Although this issue is mainly caused by the inordinate amount of free time they have during the day in the name of not having secular studies... Perhaps it is time to train bachurim to actually learn, such as it was in Europe. In this regard they ar...

(The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the blog.) Why Voting in the WZO Elections Matters: A Call to Action for Torah Values The ongoing World Zionist Organization (WZO) elections present a unique and critical opportunity for the Jewish community to make its voice heard. These elections are not just about political representation; they are about safeguarding the values and traditions that have sustained our people for generations. By voting for the Eretz Hakodesh slate , we can ensure that significant resources are directed toward authentic Torah institutions and prevent those who oppose Torah values from using these funds to further their agendas. The Stakes Are High The WZO controls a budget of over $1 billion, which has been used in recent decades by Reform and Conservative movements to fund initiatives that undermine Torah values. These movements have actively worked to undermine traditional Torah values. Th...

 The Moetzes of Agudas Yisrael released a statement today in which they forbid participation in the WZO elections. (See below.) While we here at the blog are not into voting, (see previous posts on the topic,) we still found this development highly disturbing. We believe that it is quite clear what happened here. This is not, and never has been, within the role of the moetzes. The role of the Agudah is not to decide between Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshivos. When great Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshivos who are part of the communities Agudah represents disagree as to what the Halacha or proper hashkafa is in a given situation, and especially when members of the Moetzes itself disagree - even if most of them supported this statement, then the opinion of the disagreeing Rabbanim has full validity and it is not the role of the Agudah to quash their opinion. Yiddishkeit is not supposed to be run with threats and coercion and the silencing of dissenting opinions. (Just speak to any Rav who holds t...

(The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the blog.) A loyal reader has sent in the following article and attachments. It is understood that over time situations can change, and what was at one time considered to be an איסור חמור can now be labeled a מצוה גדולה. That being said, 120 years of precedent cannot be overturned without proper documentation of Gedolei Yisrael meeting and discussing such a change. We cannot and should not be expected to disregard what has previously been regarded as prohibited without an official, published statement. Online blogs and rumors (of private half-statements) notwithstanding, there has not been a public letter from a single member of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of Agudas Yisroel in America, or of any member of the moetzes of Degel Hatorah/Aguda in Eretz Yisroel in support of voting. Therefore it seems the consensus of Gedolim is that the previous prohibition by nearly all Gedolim of the past century still sta...