mentalblog.com comments:
Regardless of his outer appearance, and even Belzers know that the Belzer Rebbe suffered a serious nervous/mental breakdown connected to the pressures (mostly financial) of putting up his huge synagogue in Jerusalem, the fact remains that the man must have a lot of IQ grey matter because he is reputed to have the skills and abilities of a high-powered empire-building CEO who knows how to move all his chess pieces like a grandmaster and exaactly how to stir the political pot in Israel his own favor with tons of cash always pouring into his coffers.
Therefore, the correct diagnosis would be megalomania of a messianic complex kind which he encourages and his Chasidim feed in to and lap as it's fairly well known that they regard him as Moshiach.
He is obviously heavily depressed and has a severe eating disorder that indicates serious emotional and and physical trouble.
He may also be the victim of delayed post-traumatic stress disorder often shown by children of Holocaust survivors, a complex field of its own.
His obesity is an open sign of a sever eating disorder and it may be a way he "comforts" himself as a residue from his days as being orphaned at a young age.
To be somewhat Freudian, his obese body looks like a huge fat penis and it's a kind of "totem pole" of virility symbolically declaring that nobody's dick is bigger than mine and I am the "big" Indian Chief in more ways than one. If this were the days of King Solomon, no doubt that each Belzer Macher would have offered him one of his daughters as wife or a concubine.
So yes, while he is emotionalyy very immature, as most jabba-the-hut/North Korean-type tyrants really are, but his rational and thinking capacities are in the super-genius range and are probably in over-drive and he has a very good grasp of the human character and is able to read anyone who comes into his focus very well.
Also do not underestimate the esotoric teachings of the Chasidus and Kabbalah he was taught since an early age in the house of Viznitz and by his handlers who groomed him for this roile and still manage his every moment. They pander to his needs, as if he were a literal queen bee in her nest with all her minions of worker bees, disposable drones, and keepers of the hive. It is said that they built him a pure gold indoor mini-pond for him to do tashlich in, that sounds a lot like the pure gold toilet that was built for Elvis to make in.
Do not underestimate this man. He is dangerous.
you had my attention till this improbable line:
"Chasidus and Kabbalah he was taught since an early age in the house of Viznitz"
there was never any of that in the Romanian Ruzhiner offshoot. But he picked up the other Ruzhiner tradition. The function of a Rebbe it to say nothing and to grab money from jews.
I am wondering if there is anything to the notion that a chassidische chevruta constitutes itself as a living egregore, which manifests its power in the person of the Rebbe. Something more or less on those lines was found in some of the western "occult" mystery groups working in the wake of the Golden Dawn. It seems that a central figure is needed to assume the function of the master of the aeon (tzaddik ha dor?) and that all of the occult power of all of the individuals who accept his role is channeled into him, magnified, and then can be beamed back as needed to work various miracles or even transform the world . . .
Why the hate? How's he different form any other rebbes?
Every person is different but in this aspect he is the same as the other Rebbes, I hate the institution.
So does that make you a misnagid?
Zeitgeist.,..I love your comment. So far I have learnt:
The Belzer Rebbe suffered a serious nervous/mental breakdown
He suffers from megalomania of a messianic complex kind
He is obviously heavily depressed He has a severe eating disorder and physical trouble.
He may be experiencing delayed post-traumatic stress disorder
He is emotionally very immature.
Because of his super genius IQ he is able to read anyone who comes into his focus very well.
From Tzemach Atlas I learnt:
The Rebbe is hooked on adulation; the energy of worshiping crows is his lifeline.
I have a few questions.
Other than being very fat which is obvious to the naked eye how does anyone know his inner psychological state?Have the Chasidim analyzed him and passed it along?
Does the combination of megalomania and depression make him bipolar?
How can an infantile, very immature narcissist read everyone who comes into his focus? To do so requires mature sophisticated abilities of empathy and entering into and understanding the world of the chasid from within.
Galitzianer Jews are generally awake and geshliffen. Not easy to fool. How does this emotional train wreck fool so many thousands of people?
I heard the following in the early '80s from a former classmate of the Belzer Rebbe when they were in together in cheder in Yeshivah Eytz Chayim J-m:
When they were around 5 years old they were playing in the sandbox, & he (the Belzer Chosid telling me the story) kicked some sand on him (the hayntiker Belzer Rebbe), to which the latter rebuked: "Vart, ven ikh vel vern Rebbe vesti khapn!" ["Just wait, when I become Rebbe you're going to get it!"]
To see the vicious cycle of a third generation of children growing up in spoiled rebishe homes is to validate Freud even more.
evanstonjew, only a person who had never lived in Russia or other totalitarian country can ask your last question. You disappoint me greatly.
p.s. my statements where in the from a question. I don't know him, but I know for sure that it is one of the suggested options.
"Galitzianer Jews are generally awake and geshliffen. Not easy to fool."
tell that to the Beltzer Rebbe's Chassidim who were advised to stay in Beltz before the war.
Tzemach...I hear you. All we can do is speak from our own experience.
Besides growing up in a world where there were a fair amount of Galitzianer and a smaller amount of Belzer, three people who made a very favorable impression on me thought highly of this rebbe. Rabbi Hershel Goldwurm z"l of Schottenstein Talmud fame was a very clever smart man. The late Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg z''l, the Conservative rabbi and historian wrote favorably of this rebbe in the NYReview of Books. And if I remember correctly Israel Singer the brains behind the WJC before he came upon hard times was the mc at Belzer fund raisers and not just because of his shver. All were duped. Maybe.
Here are some accomplishments of this rebbe:
1.He has consistently been on the side of trading land for peace.
2.He has given speeches saying able bodied men who are average in Torah studies should go out, earn a living and stop loafing.
3.He created a vigorous alternative to badatz shechita and in general broken the Litvish-Hungarian stranglehold on Jerusalem charedi politics.
4.When Agudah became a rubber stamp of the Gerer rebbe he helped create Degel Torah as an an alternative political party, accepted rotation and when they formed an alliance with Agudah caused the new UTJ to appeal to a larger charedi audience.
5.He created an outreach program to non frum Israelis.
6.He grew his community beyond their natural internal growth. Just compare the You-tube video of the son’s bar mitzvah in the 1980’s and the grandchild’s bar mitzvah this past year.
7.There is something about Belz that people find deeply moving. He found a way of recreating that feeling. I was hoping you would find a way to put it into words.
I hope I didn’t make too many mistakes…all this is from memory which is iffy these days.
"Galitzianer Jews are generally awake and geshliffen. Not easy to fool."
EJ
most of these folks are not galicianer, rather (like most latter day chassidim even the ukranian chatzeiros), hungarian.
the belzer himself is half haungarian.
get to know hungarians (unterlender, that is) and the picture should become alot clearer....
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