I think its important to place all writings in perspective. This is especially true of rabbinic writings. Rabbis wrote facts that is halacha, they wrote philosophical works which were speculative and they penned homiletics and eulogies whose chief purpose was exhorting the readers and listners to Teshuva.
Was the "text" written as a historical analysis or was it used in a homiletic way. Perhaps in rabbinic culture it served as a means of exhorting the people to good deeeds and to return to the ways of YORE.Frum jews have a tendency to romanticize the past in every generation.
I think the purpose of the text here was not a historical analysis nor a contmporary sociological survey, but an exhortation to the people to support the yeshivoth in the White Russian arera (eg Kobrin, Radin, Slutzk, Da Mir etc. Let us remember that Rabbi Soretzkin was a member of the rabbinical class in Lithuania affiliated to the Yeshiva community ( a grandson of Rabbi Laizer Gordon of Telz) and active in the Lithuanian Vaad hayeshivoth as speaker and fund raiser while seving as rav of Lutzk in Volhin .Rav Sorotzkin was a well known speaker as well as a talmid chochom.
Thus this piece probably reflects the importance he attaches to the new world class yeshivos (Telz, Slobodka, Mir , Radin) as replacing the local beis medrash and small town yeshiva of yore.
schneur | 05.21.06 - 10:46 am | #