Nosson Zvi Finkel: Encyclopedia II - Nosson Zvi Finkel - Opposition

Nosson Zvi Finkel - Opposition

His main opponents in the "yeshiva world" were the members and alumni of the Brisk yeshiva of Lithuania headed by the Soloveitchik family, who, unlike their kin Joseph Soloveitchik who eventually moved to the United Sates, were adamantly opposed to any changes in what they believed to be the time-tested ways of yeshiva education. To this day, their yeshivot, based mainly in Jerusalem today, do not teach mussar ethics as some sort of special curriculum, but focus on pure Talmud study.

Rabbi Finkel's opponents argued that the pure focus on the Talmud would automatically create greatness in both scholarship and ethics. But Rabbi Finkel believed that, while this might have been true in previous generations, the modern age was different. In his view, too many new enticing secular ideologies, such as Socialism and Zionism and the very real lure of atheism in universities, were becoming a replacement for traditional Judaism for many young Jews. He was determined to prove that what he had to offer was more appealing than anything the outside world could offer.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Opposition", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki