Woodcliff Lake, NJ – In his heartfelt public speech last night at the annual Agudah convention, the Novominsker Rebbe, R’ Yaakov Perlow, brought out lessons gleaned from an unexpected source: R’ Mendel Weiss a homeless Satmar yid who was well known in Brooklyn and passed away several weeks ago.

“He was a mysterious Jew, bedraggled…but Mendel had some interesting things to say,” said the Novomnisker.

R’ Mendel, who wandered the streets of Williamsburg for many years before he became a fixture on the streets of Flatbush and Borough Park, frequented many yeshivos and shuls throughout the area. He was known for the many layers of clothing he wore, stuffed with papers, and for the heartfelt appreciation he extended to those who offered him food and lodging.

Rabbi Perlow related that R’ Mendel used to theorize about the concept of judging others favorably, wondering how one could go lifnim meshuras hadin and be extra stringent in this matter. R’ Mendel’s answer, related Rabbi Perlow, was simple: don’t look at others.

The Novominsker urged listeners to take R’ Mendel’s words to heart, addressing a scathing rebuke to bloggers who feel the need to comment on any issue that arises.

“Rabbosai, we have become a society of kikkers, of lookers,” said the Novominsker. “We look at yenem and we make comments. There are many self-appointed mevinim amongst us unfortunately, ready to sound off on anything and everything. These mevinim have no compunctions about opinionating about whatever goes on in the Jewish world, in the Torah world especially and very often, as a result of that curse of technology called the blogs, they engage in cynicism and zilzul talmidei chochomim and downright chutzpah.”

Rabbi Perlow quoted the Kotzker Rebbe who would exhort his followers to scrutinize themselves and their own actions instead of looking at the behavior of others.

“An ehrliche yid should behave with humility and understatedness and speak with kavod hatorah and respect talmidei chochomim and not appropriate themselves as a commentator and a mayvin on everything that goes on.”



The Novominsker spoke about instilling these same values in our children and grandchildren.

“How do you expect the younger generation to think when they hear sometimes their parents making derogatory remarks on the ‘system’ in the Torah world today, learning after the chasana, having to support the kinder, the eidemes and so on?”

“Yes there are questions and issues about individuals and parnassa is an overriding question sometimes, all the time, and they must be addressed individually, but not to become self-styled commentators on the Torah scene today,” added the Novominsker.

Offering his own view as a member of the older generation, Rabbi Perlow spoke about the lost passion for Torah that was prevalent decades ago, threatened by those who feel free to criticize others in a public forum.

“What I need to stress is that we must curb the urge to opinionate, because opinionating…means poor judgment, unfair comments and unwise chinuch,” said Rabbi Perlow.

The Novominsker concluded his twenty nine minute address with a plea to seek a greater level of refinement and closeness to the Ribono Shel Olam.

“That is an obligation incumbent upon every Jew, especially ehrliche yidden and thus enhance k’vod shomayim.”