I am in the middle of reading Ha-Gaon Ha-Rav Mordechai Elefant's FASCINATING memoirs [from which I told the story linked in the previous post- here is part 2]. Artscroll - G-d bless them - will NEVER print this book. Here is a sample:
I saw one of the famous teachers and scholars in JTS in a glatt kosher hotel in Miami Beach on Shabbos. He was sitting with Elie Wiesel and dipping his tea bag into boiling hot water.
I told [my wife] Goldie that I am going to say something. She was opposed. I said "But Goldie, it's frum to tell him". I was feeling antagonistic to him and said "----- [he said his first name], what you are doing is בישול."
The professor said "There is no איסור of צביעה באוכלין" [coloring foods].
I said " ... I am not talking about צביעה . I am talking about בישול."
I did my duty as an Orthodox Jew.
[Then he described how Weisel had this face he put on which made you see Auschwitz. i used to daven with Wiesel from time to time and that face was scary. I am sure he is at peace now. ת.נ.צ.ב.ה.]
Note: According to R' Dr. Rakeffet in his on line lectures, this professor was completely frum, despite his affiliation with JTS. I guess "almost" completely. Or maybe he was סומך on the fact that a כלי שני is not מבשל and a tea bag is not מקלי הבישול where we are מחמיר even with a כלי שני.
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A certain famous Rosh Yeshiva [whom he named] would "pal around" with this professor in the 1950's. They both hung around the Public Library on 42nd street because there were a LOT of sefarim there. [I also used to hang out there before the Otzar Hachochma and before I bought and subsequently lost the Bar Ilan program and before HebrewBooks.org].
One day the Rosh Yeshiva walks in and the professor says in Yiddish "Here comes G-d's dog."
The Rosh Yeshiva responded "Better be G-d's dog than be a god to dogs".
He heard the story from the Rosh Yeshiva.
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Yitzchak Rabin a"h was a great statesman and embodiment of the noble ideals of Zionism. Unfortunately, had a drinking problem. At meetings he would often have a tea colored drink in front of him filled to the rim with a slice of lemon on the rim. The resemblance to tea ended with its appearance. He was once in a meeting with Jimmy Carter and fell asleep right in the middle because he had too much to drink. After that, Carter treated him with contempt.
When he was Prime Minister, he went to Munich to a ceremony in honor of the 11 athletes murdered by Arab terrorists during the Olympics. He went, put on a yarmulke and said kaddish.
On the place ride home, his wife Leah fell asleep. First class - free drinks!! He had too much to drink and was having fun which expressed itself in becoming friendly with one of the German stewardesses. She told an Israeli journalist about her experiences with the Prime Minister. The journalist's sense of social responsibility would not allow him to suppress the story - unless he was paid 100,000 Israeli pounds, about $40,000. [Trump didn't invent hush money]. Rabin thought that Rav Elefant would have the money handy so he sent an aide to ask him for the money. Rav Elefant refused to give it to him because he suspected that the man would pocket the money himself and insisted that Rabin himself come get the money, which he did.
Teddy Kollek [the mayor of Jerusalem] told him that what he handled it stupidly. If Rabin knew that Rav Elefant knew this secretive information about him he would avoid him in the future. Teddy was right.
[Didn't Rabin tell Rav Elefant why he needed the money? What was he supposed to do??]
