I have been reading the sefer מבקשי פניך - conversations between Rav Sabato and Rav Lichtenstein ztz"l.
Interesting.
I was impressed that even though he loves the gemara so much he was willing to accept that many of the youth in his constituency are not similarly enamored and that might require a change in the curriculum.
[ובאותו ענין - I never cease to be flabbergasted that our young men are being taught daily shiurim with Ktzoses and Rav Chaim's while they don't know the difference between רמינהו and איבעיא להו or the difference between an amora and a tanna. Yet, many yeshivas stubbornly continue to neglect giving the students basic skills as if it were Volozhin and all of the students are fluent in many masechtos. And people remain illiterate for life. A fate almost worse than death....].
I was also impressed that despite his strong Lithuanian personality and cerebral dominance, he doesn't negate the value of the study of sifrei chasidus for those so inclined. He does say that he vehemently disagrees with some of what is written in the Mei Shloach and Rebbe Tzadok. I was interested in knowing what his points of dispute are, but the reader is not told.
He related to the fact that Maimonidies in Boston was coed and if Rav Soloveitchik held that it was לכתחילה. His answer - I never asked him and don't know. Hard to believe that it was. Why would Rav S. argue with the Shulchan Aruch [אבה"ע סי' כ"א] and the thrust of countless maamarei chazal?!
He didn't like the fact that in yeshivos, Rav Soloveitchik is often referred to as J.B. Where is the respect?? To be melamed zchus - people aren't INTENDING to be disrespectful. That just became his name....
Much to talk about and maybe in future posts....
In the meantime I can only hope and pray that I have the zchus to teach so many students as he did [despite that oceans of knowledge that separate us].
