Friday, 29 March 2013

"What's so Great About the Gra?"

A chossid challenged me to explain to him "What's so Great About the Gra?"

Here is an answer from an esteemed frum Professor of Jewish History, R Dr. David Berger
Dear R. Wolpoe,

«I really can't say more than the standard answers, but I think they are pretty impressive: Total bekiut in absolutely all sacred texts of Judaism: Tanakh, Bavli, Yerushalmi, Tosefta, Sifra, Sifrei, aggadic midrashim, and all the texts of nistar. Unparalleled creativity in dealing with those texts. Familiarity with and even command of mathematics and some other secular subjects to the degree that this was obtainable without formal training. Hasmadah and piety on a level hardly ever seen even among great tzaddikim.

Other than being a sports fan, [SMILE] I don't see what more one can ask or even imagine in a traditional Jewish society.
Chag kasher ve-sameach.
Best regards. David»

What more can I say?
But I might say some more later anyway!

Best Regards,
RW

1 comment:

micha berger said...

... AND the Gra analyzed topics "vertically" -- his knowledge of Tanakh informed his discussion of mishnah and gemara which he used in his understanding of the Zohar, etc... It was not only a global understanding, it was holistically unified as well.