The making of a Gadol... into a Rebbe

I finally received the much awaited matanos l'evyonim edition of the Kupat Hair brochure. It's so absurd, that I want to believe it's Purim shtick. I'm by far not the only one struck by how surreal it's all become (see here, here & here). The fact that people will go to desperately humiliating measures to raise money should not be surprising. What I can't understand, though, is how the yeshivish world allows for the total misuse the Gedolim.

According to the brochure, anyone can call the toll free number, donate by credit card and have their urgent request forwarded immediately to the homes of the Gedolei Hador. (Is the miracle satisfaction guaranteed or your money back?) The sales pitch works well--it's like calling in to PBS during a fund drive and getting a snazzy tote in return (or better yet, donating to a Katrina fund for the chance that Matt Damon or Bono will pick up the phone to take the pledge).

The function of Gedolim is multi-layered and endlessly debated. Their primary role, however, has always been to provide gadlus ba'Torah, expertise and authority on religious issues. Acting as God's secretary and rationing out the miracles (for a fee, yet) is a new, and seemingly inappropriate, job description. With all the recent controversies and attacks on the gedolim, it looks to me like the yeshiva world envies the previously scorned Rebbe-chossid relationship. Rabbeim are considered sacred to the point of being beyond judgment, debate or criticism. You won’t find books like R'Kaminetsky's that deal with Chassidic Rebbeim, because their followers simply don’t care to have their leaders examined critically. The tzidkus of the Rabbeim is undoubtedly real, but their unique position as a direct line to God is what fascinates me and probably many others. It looks like others in the ultra-orthodox world want in on the exclusivity.

Kupat Ha’ir is doing a marvelous job of turning the Gedolim into story book caricatures, Baal-Shem-Tov-like miracle makers. The Gedolim project is another way of fusing all Jewish leadership under the banner of absolute guidance, where critical evaluation is considered sacrilege. The greatest miracle of all is that despite its absurdity, Kupat Ha'ir still manages to raise an enormous amount of money! Kul Hakavod, but don't count on my pledge. I'm not sure I'm ready for the blessing of triplets; it's challenge enough handling them one at a time.