Different Haskafos

I have seen that some people are hurt/ angry/ offended that the Charedi world didn't properly recognize the passing of one of the gedolei ha-dor, HaRav Lichtenstein Shlita. Not only that, but in one article in the Charedi press, the moniker "ztz"l" wasn't added to his name.

CHUTZPAH!! How can they tacitly imply that Rav Lichtenstein ztz"l wasn't a tzadik?

Hold on - this is huge.

In their eyes he wasn't a gadol [if they had heard of him even though most of them haven't]. If they would have spoken to him in learning then they would admit that he knew a lot and was a brilliant man. But broad Torah knowledge does not a gadol make. According to the present day Charedi hashkafa - he was making big mistakes and misleading the masses. I am not judging either way but that is their perspective - legitimate in my opinion. Just as he felt that Rav Shach ztz"l was misleading his followers by telling them to stay and learn endlessly in kollel and not to get a general education. Who was right? I will let Hashem decide:-). He certainly had good intentions - as did Rav Shach - but one of them was wrong. No?

He felt that serving in the army was an ideal for all. The Charedi world since before the birth of the State has been opposed and maintains that it is dangerous and harmful for Bnei Torah to be part of the secular Israeli army and they should instead devote all of their energies to the study of Torah and when necessary - to work and earn a living, but not tzahal. That was the opinion of the Chazon Ish, the Steipler, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach [who Rav Lichtenstein went to for pask], Rav Eliyashiv and just about every major posek, Rosh Yeshiva and tzaddik.

Maybe Rav Lichtenstein was right and they were wrong - again, that is for Hashem to decide not us. But that world feels that he was in error based on the way they were raised. Legitimate.

Ditto with his positive attitude towards university study, women's studying gemara and a number of other issues which are beyond the scope of this post.

I don't see anything wrong with people following their gedolim and not following someone who is [in their opinion] incorrect in his perspective on such basic questions of hashkafa.

THAT BEING SAID - I will share my own very humble opinion.

He was a tzaddik, a prince of a human being, a quintessential mentsch, a tremendous masmid, ohev Torah, marbitz torah to thousands, mechbed av va-aim par excellence, an anav beyond belief, a moser nefesh for Torah, Eretz Yisrael [had he stayed in America he would have been THE modern orthodox gadol - it was actually a "bad career move" to go to Israel where he had a much smaller constituency but he believed in the ideal of living in Israel and not the ideal of self aggrandizement] and Bnei Yisrael, a devoted eved Hashem who knew that at times he had to close his gemara for the sake of the klal and prat [painful as that was for him], and of course a massive talmid chochom who had complete mastery over shas and rishonim to the point that you could talk with him at any time on any sugya anywhere - and he knew it with complete clarity.

That is just מקצת שבחו - partial praise. There is so much more.

But that doesn't mean that everything he said and taught should be followed. I was taught by my teachers to follow the consensus of gedolei yisrael and particularly the followers of the Baal Shem Tov and the niftar ztz"l was very far from that world.

But, generally speaking, his derech chaim should be emulated by all. My reverence for him is not erased because I follow tzadikim with a different mehalech in certain areas of avodas Hashem.

Ha-levai that every Dati Leumi and modern orthodox [and Charedi!] child should have his yiras shomayim, middos and dedication to Torah study. I am not aware of any "successor" who can fill his big shoes and for that my heart pains. All we can do is try to fill in just a little bit by becoming better people. By giving more tzedaka [the amount that he gave was legendary - and it didn't matter whether the beggar was wearing a kippah seruga or a black hat], by davening with more kavana, by striving to finish shas again and again [regardless of how you earn a living], by resolving to fill our lives with meaning and to denounce all of the hedonism that surrounds us [he didn't eat soup during the week so that he would enjoy it only li-kavod shabbos and because .... it is a waste of time to eat soup!] etc. etc.

יהי זכרו ברוך!