Coming Out of the Cave

Rav Kahn Challenges Rabbi Lamm's Statement, Then Appologizes

The Rambam writes that regarding sins between an individual and his neighbor, Yom Kippur will only atone if the person personally apologizes to his friend. Last Monday, MYP Rebbe and Rosh Kollel Elyon Rav Aaron Kahn demonstrated the practical application of this principle in front of the Beis Medrash, when he publicly apologized for statements which he made a week ago during an hour-long mussar schmooze concerning a speech made by Yeshiva University President and Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Norman Lamm.

Rav Kahn opened his mussar talk of September 29th by referring back to the history of RIETS and noting the sacrifices made by the early RIETS rebbeim and their wishes to create a bastion of Torah in Washington Heights during a time when America was "a barren wasteland, when the notion of someone learning [Torah] seriously did not exist." Rav Kahn described the vision of RIETS as "the history, the amalgamation of the histories of the Roshei Yeshiva and the bnei haYeshiva from the day that it was established." In addition, Rav Kahn explained that the original vision of the Yeshiva was twofold: to establish a place where learning would take place on a high level in the tradition of the European Yeshivas, and to give students the opportunity to study secular subjects "al taharas haKodesh." Then, as he began to explain his current vision of YU, Rav Kahn described the current talmidim as a generation that the early rebbeim would have been proud of and would have felt honored to give shiurim and teach Torah to.

As he continued to discuss the current status of the Yeshiva, Rav Kahn referred to Rav Lamm's centennial address. Rav Kahn quoted Rav Lamm's statement that "We who study and teach at Yeshiva essentially live in a private community - a marvelous enclave, one of study and thought and research, of vibrant ideas and creative concepts and novel interpretations and spiritual growth, all on the very highest levels. But it is an enclave, not a cave; we are not hermetically sealed off from the world. Yes, the "cave experience" can be, and indeed is, a vital element in one's Torah development, and that is why we recommend (at considerable cost to us!) a year of intensive immersion in Torah in Israel and, for Semikha students, at our Gruss Institute in Jerusalem. But the cave is not the natural habitat of Torah; a "house of study" - a beit ha-midrash - is where Torah flourishes, not a "cave" of study. We do not and should not aspire to educate our students to live in caves once they have left the Yeshiva."

Rav Kahn went on to challenge the description of the Gruss Institute and the Yeshivas in Israel as "caves." In addition, Rav Kahn questioned the expressed contentment with only one year of intense Torah studying asking "Are we then to allow that it is sufficient to be in the cave, which is a valuable thing he [R' Lamm] admits, for one year?" Rav Kahn continued by explaining that it is hard to believe that so much can be accomplished in one year, as he referred to the fact that previous gedolim, such as the Rav, immersed themselves in years of study before they could reach any level of prominence in Torah or enter the secular world of study. In shock Rav Kahn stated that "I cannot believe what I am reading" and evoked laughter from the crowd by making reference to his now famous schmooze on fraternity life by saying that "I once said that about something else."

Rav Kahn then discussed the sacrifices made by Rabbi Akiva to learn and teach Torah on the highest level. Rav Kahn explained that "Rabbi Akiva knew that what he was doing was suicidal, but in that act of suicide he saved klal yisroel from suicide." Rav Kahn demonstrated how this intensive limud haTorah did not affect his love for his fellow Jews by reminding the students that it was Rabbi Akiva who said "Vahavta l'reiacha kamocha, zeh klal gadol baTorah." Moreover, Rav Kahn said that "I suggest that davka only one who knows no limits to the learning of Torah, davka such a person has ahavas yisroel, no one else. Because only someone who understands the very essence of the neshama of Yisroel can have real ahavas Yisroel." Rav Kahn brought down the sacrifices of the Chafetz Chaim to foster Torah in Klal Yisroel in conjunction with his immersion in limud Torah.

Rav Khan began to lament the attitude that one should be content with a minimal Torah education. He warned that YU could become a place that produces "sophisticated amei ha'aretz" with no relationship to other yeshivas. Rav Kahn went on to state that this "will not be. This Yeshiva is producing talmidei chachamim and talmidei chachamim means years of serious learning of Torah. Talmidei chachamim means a mesiras nefesh for Torah on the highest level. Talmidei chacha mim means that you cannot a couple of hours a night watch the ball game and a couple of hours a night schmooze with your friends, and a couple of hours a night stay up on the Internet, and then the next day you're going to go back to the Beis Medrash in the morning." It is this vision that Rav Kahn feels should define YU and be the kiddush Hashem described in the statement "Ashreinu matov chelkeinu uma nayim goraleinu." Furthermore, Rav Kahn demonstrated that the history of the Jewish people serves testament to the fact that Torah can flourish even in the pogroms of Chelminitski, Bolshevik Russia, and Nazi Germany. Therefore, Rav Khan argued that there is no excuse for Limud haTorah to die in YU, within the comfortable confines of America. However, Rav Khan said that he understood that YU students had their own problems and distractions, but urged that students not be discouraged and continue to learn as our ancestors did despite the greatest horrors of Europe. Rav Kahn added that students must overcome the various challenges which life puts in the path of their Torah study as a responsibility to the past rebbeim of YU and for their own self respect.

Although Rav Kahn used Rav Lamm's statement as a polemical device to describe the centrality of Torah in one's life, stating that "I am not playing to the gallery and I don't see any television cameras," many students interpreted his disagreement with Rav Lamm's statement as an attack on R' Lamm's philosophies. In his shiur the next day, Rav Kahn expressed his regret that students did not take what he said as a way to clearly illustrate his point of view by using a counterpoint, but instead viewed it as an attack on both R' Lamm and his ideology. Therefore, in order to clarify any misconceptions, to the shock of the entire Beis Medrash, Rav Kahn approached the Bimah exactly a week later and offered an apology for the statements which he had made.

Rav Kahn began by admitting that he had "inadvertently and unintentionally violated the words of chazal: 'chachamim hizha'aru b'divreichem.'" However, Rav Kahn did not feel that he was absolved of responsibility stating that "even a shogeg must use the nusach of 'chatati aviti pashati' ... because for the human being there is no such thing as a complete shogeg." Rav Khan explained that in the heat of the moment he had erred and that "my quotation was meant to serv e as a speaker's foil, a speaker's device."

"I failed to convey R' Lamm's mesirus nefesh; the sleepless nights; I failed to convey his tremendous achievements foe Torah here in Yeshiva. In many ways we can all say: 'Sheli v'shelochem shelo hu' [my Torah learning and your Torah learning belong to him.]"

Rav Khan also stated that he was remiss in not conveying his "personal hakaras haTov for Rabbi Lamm for taking me me'achurei haTzon' and providing me with the opportunity to be able to teach Torah with so much dignity. It is all, all to his credit."

Rav Kahn concluded by saying that "I crave from you, the talmidei yeshiva, mechila for not making my words of last week more perfect and more pure."

"And of course, bifnei kohol am, I crave and ask respectfully of the Nossie, R' Lamm himself [for forgiveness]. I did him an injustice and I publicly admit it, bein keseh le'esor. May Hashem accept this moment as a kiddush shem Shomayim and may it serve to achieve, as R' Lamm often concludes, L'hagdil Torah u'l'ha'adero, Omien."

And the Talmidim, certain with the knowledge that Rav Lamm would grant mechila, felt the shalom invading the Beis Medrash.