Reply To: Joint Siyum

Haimy,
this non-recognition is exactly what I have a problem with. I’ve been to shiurim and read books by people from different camps, and there is nothing inherently non-kosher in YU or Chabad. There are strange people with strange shitos in every camp and it is fine to be weary of that. This wholesale disrespect to others is a very sad thing. In this case, we are talking about people who are concluding learning Shas – this surely creates a common platform that we can use to consider each other’s opinion.

PS here is a small piece of gemorah where we can discuss differences:
Taanis 21 describes a doctor who gets more visits from yeshiva shel maale than Abaye (and way more than Rava). The explanation is due to him doing various mitzvos while performing his bloodletting, including not charging “tzurba d’Rabonan” and even getting them money. Steinsaltz translates this expression as “Torah scholars” while Artscroll (from memory) – as “young Torah scholars” then commenting that kal vehomer if young scholars do not have money and Dr. Abba supported them, he surely did the same for older Rabbis … I wonder whether a social bias creeped in here inadvertently – did older scholars really remain poor at those times or they might have started earning business? There are several rabbis that were exceptionally poor but there were many who were or became rich, like R Huna.