rebbe

The rebbe is upset to learn that Wiesel has become a writer, and wants to know what he writes.

The Rebbe can tell you where to dig, and what to dig for, but the digging you must do yourself.

It was said of Reb Simcha Bunem, a 18th century Hasidic rebbe, that he carried two slips of paper, one in each pocket.

So intrigued, he asked the rebbe, why he does it.

> [...] my Rebbe was the geologist of the soul.

And the feel and zeitgeist around the rationalist community with it's veneration of a couple core people like EY or Scott Alexander does feel similar to the veneration a subset of people would do for Baba Sali or Alter Rebbe in those communities.

So he asked them and was told "we do it, because 'the rebbe' does it".

One student asked his Rebbe, "Why do you cry?

In fact, some were invented from almost the beginning to almost the end." The Rebbe leaned forward as if to measure me up and said with more sorrow than anger: That means you are writing lies!

Yet, I had to justify myself: "Things are not that simple, Rebbe.

Rebbe Teitelbaum was an anti-Zionist, he opposed the creation of the modern state of Israel as sinful, and he opposed Haredi Jews cooperating with the state (such as by being elected to the Knesset or accepting government benefits.) But he did not support the physical destruction of Jewish communities in Eretz Yisrael.