Rav Schach Letter Resurfaces Urging Lakewood Yeshiva To Shun Politics, Elevate Torah Leadership
A blog has resurfaced Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach’s 1987 guidance to Lakewood, spotlighting his warning against political entanglement.
Overview
- The online post republishes a Hebrew letter from Bnei Brak dated Motzaei Shabbat Tzav, 13 Nisan 5747 (1987), addressed to Lakewood yeshiva leaders.
- Rav Schach writes that a rosh yeshiva’s chief duty is exclusive engagement in Torah study with only limited supervision of local matters.
- He calls for expanding communal learning—shiurim, chavurot, study of Shas, Mishnayot, and Mishneh Berurah—to bolster a Torah outlook and fear of Heaven.
- The post’s headline attributes to him a call to appoint an independent Ruv not controlled by the Hanhalah, presented without separate corroboration.
- The letter opens and closes with blessings for the yeshiva’s growth, and no current response or policy change from Lakewood leadership is reported.