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Dispute Leads to Seforim Piling Up in 770

For a few days now, a sorry sight has welcomed all who enter the main Shul of 770: hundreds of Seforim piled high on tables and benches, while the shelves where they belong remain bare.

The cause of this situation is the withholding of pay for those hired to clear the Seforim and put them back in their proper places; the latter have halted their work until they receive the pay owed to them.

This predicament is the result of a dispute over who is responsible for paying for the clearing of the Seforim, between the Gabo’im of the Shul and the Hanholoh of Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim.

Until the dispute is sorted out, it seems that this sorry state of the Rebbe’s Shul will prevail for the time being.

Photos courtesy of Shturem.net

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46 Comments

  • a local

    That’s disgraceful. Why don’t some of the bachurim do some avodat lev and show the seforim the respect they should receive – and shelve and organize them?

    • The plain truth

      The Rebbe would say simple, this is a shul not a Yeshiva!

      The Rebbe already said so in 1972 when the Yeshiva bought Chovevei Torah because the Yeshiva outgrew the upstairs Zal.

      The Rebbe spoke an entire Sicha to the Bochrim who naturally refused to move out from 770 to go to Chovevei, the Rebbe said that the although the Bochrim are right for crying that they want to be near the king, but the king needs them to move out to do their Shlichus elsewhere so they must move, and the Rebbe emphasized that downstairs 770 is a Shul not the Yeshiva.

      The Rebbe actually compared it to the second day of creation when Hashem separated the upper waters from the lower waters and the lower waters started crying we want to be closer to the king Hashem.

      To those of us who remember, the Menahel Reb Dovid Raskin o.b.m would love to say that if one learns downstairs its no different than learning in Flatbush.

      This system was kept until about Gimmel Tammuz that only older Bochrim learned in 770 and the Kevutza and first year 770 Bochrim stayed in Chovevei Torah, but after Gimmel Tammuz the Mashgiach Rabbi Kuti Rapp decided that the Bochrim should stay in 770 and he came to 770 with the Bochrim and they basically took over the shul.

      The rest is history

    • Where

      Was wondering where this sicha is I would like to look it up.

      And a correction, from what I understand the American bochrim would learn in 770 during the year and in the summer the Israelis would learn there (because all the Americans went to camps) and in 5752 after the stroke the Israelis came in full time.

  • Cajun Chosid

    If you take a sefer out why not put in back where you took it from? I know common sense is just a rarity these days.

    • ???

      Don’t be ridiculous. You are asking way too much – these tzaddikim are too busy waving huge flags & making sure their personal degels are on straight, not to mention beating up the people who don’t agree with them, to show derech eretz to our heilige sefarim.

  • Anonymous

    אני לא מבין אלה שמבזים את כבוד של המקום כל השנה אם הדגלים וכל מיני מסיבות משונים במקום וכל התימונים שמצו את מקומם שם והשביל ..אין מקום שמחללים שם שמים וכבוד קדושת האדמו”ר מהמקום הזה,
    אז כמה ספרים על השלחנות נו.. לא נוראה

    • Time x2

      It doesn’t take 4-5 hours for each person to put back the seforim they used. “Your Mama doesn’t work here, clean up after yourself.”

    • you lazy bum

      Try waking up earlier. Try putting back YOUR sefer. You all make me sick, you leeches.

  • lesson

    Its a lesson for all to learn that shul is a makom kadosh and we must respect, therefore, if u take a sefer ,put it back ,why should the goyim put back the seforim ? Specially upside down

  • yashar koach

    Why don’t the people who take out the books just, I don’t know.. PUT THEM BACK? That’s just derech eretz!

    Whenever I used ANY sefer in 770 I ALWAYS put it back!

  • mentchlichkeit

    I know this sounds ridiculous, unfair, etc., but why on earth do people not put back the books they used after themselves – wouldn’t that be basic decency?Hey, what if the guys who clean the floors strike – does that mean that everyone will throw used tissues on the floor without second thought? I mean, how difficult is it? The siddurim go on the siddurim shelf. The chumashim go on the chumashim shelf. The sichos go on the sichos shelf. Show some respect for the sefarim, but also show some self respect as a mentch and please put your books away. Thank you,

  • Chaim

    To 4

    מה הקשר בין ספרים לדגלים? מדוע כל פעם שקורה משהו קופצים על הדגלים. יש כאן בעי’ ממקודת של תמימים שעובדים קשה ולא מקבלים את התמורה (אם הבנתי נכון) שהובטחה להם ואולי הם מאוד זקוקים לכסף.
    לא כל דבר קשור לדגלים או מניפיהם.

    There is “takeh” no reson for this build up except that our yeshiva kids are used to being served. Have been in yeshiva lunchrooms where the guys don’t even stack their plates and put the chairs back in place. Bad training for future husbands. Mashpiim take note.

  • Make a Friday mitzvah - to clean all seforim

    Ask the Gabaj to make a clear note IN EACH shelf is for what : SIDDUR , GEMORAH …ETC —– ask all minyanim to put as much as everyone can but at least 5 books after Friday Shaharis !!!! People probably don’t see /know where the book is belongs to so they live it on the tables etc …..
    Do the Same All Shabbes -put by yourself and ask everyone to put back …..!

    Wish I can help , lady section is more clean ….

  • MBA

    to 11

    2 late to change the bad pattern now….

    Chabad more than anyone else spoiled the boys (and ruined it for their wives as well) more so than any other Yeshiva… why? bc our boys usually at some point or another are ” shluchim” etc and as such u can’t have them “clean” the tables etc. they always sit at the head of the table etc.

    Sad results when wifes try (mostly) unsuccessfully to re-train them after long years of spoiling!!!!!

    To all the Neshot Chayil: Hatzlocha Raba.

  • Chana W

    The Rebbe wouldn’t say a word…he would just give a look and it would be done. The shul is a makom hakodesh and it is a shander to see such pictures. The community should join in and put the books and the boys should learn what is derech eretz already.

  • Rochel

    Oh my, how disrespectful…..I would never presume to speak for the Rebbe, but I doubt that He would ever allow this to happen…..such a pity.

  • To MBA who hates Chabad

    Your hate of Chabad comes out loud and clear!
    Being “Shluchim” has nothing to do with cleaning. Tighten the screws in that head of yours.

  • Mishagas stupidity

    Spoiled? those of you who think like that why don’t you volunteer your time to do it? It is alout of work & either hire a few people full time to do it or cut it out and pay them I say split the cost For starters if the Bachurim are in 1414 or 749 part of their pay should be a trade off for room & board but it is at least an equal responsibility as the seforim are used by bachurim & anash alike

  • Shame!

    What a bizayon! One kisses a sefer that fall down, and here they are piled like refuse!

    • Citizen Berel

      They are piled like seforim. If you were to pile up seforim they would look something like that promise.

  • Crown Heights Resident

    Everyone should respect the seforim by returning them to the shelf after using them

  • distant observer

    Blaming attacks people, and doesn’t address the problem. Whoever takes a book should return it. That’s how the Rebbe does.

  • brought tears to my eyes

    It brought tears to my eyes to see seforim piled up I wish I lived in ch I would send my 3 boys to tidy up

    • correct

      The only comment that makes sense here , let’s hope some people listen to your advice step up and do the right thing , these photos are truly embarrassing

  • ld

    מה קשור לדגלים?אתם רוצים לכפות את דעתכם על הכלל שמאמין. אתם מתביישים באמונה?יש מספיק בתי כנסת אחרים. ולגבי הספרים למה שהאתר לא יציע מתנדבים?

  • Lubavitch in a nut-shell

    How much money is raised by our community (at an event in Flatbush) for RCCS?
    How much is raised for Bonai Olum?
    How much is raised for I don’t even know the name of the out of town organization?
    How much time is spent trying to find a jew at the end of the world whose not even interested?
    But take care of our own (fill in the blank, there are many) G-d forbid should we do such a thing

  • very sad

    how is possible, what do they learn all day long, if it’s not derech eretz, very sad, Rabbanim & mashpiim needs to educate them badly !

  • Crown Heights Resident

    My solution is. Everyone who used a sefer in 770 this week, should go 770 ASAP & put 2 or 3 or 5+ Seforim back on the shelf.

  • ARE YOU ALL BLIND

    These guys barely use any seforim, they are too busy with flags and the “rebbes minyan etc”

    THIS IS THEIR WAY OF BLACKMAILING THE HIGHER UPS TO PAY THEM – THEY SHLEPPED OUT ALL THE SEFORIM AND LEFT THEM LIKE THIS TO PROVE A POINT!!

    SICKOS, LEAVE 770 AND COME BACK WHEN YOU ARE READY TO ACT LIKE MENTSHEN!

  • curios

    No one addressed the issue in the comments that bochrim worked and we’re not paid,( I understand for seforim to be piled on the floor of the bimah is very sad) who paid these bochrim all these years? Hanahala or gaboyim?

  • i

    you don’t walk inside 770 because of the flags…? 770 is the holiest place in the world because the נשיא הדור is there (the rebbe). as the rebbe says in קונטרת בית רבינו שבבבל after the פריערדיקע רבי past away that since the (פריערדיקע רבי the) נשיא הדור is there- that’s where the שכינה is in גלות.

  • It is a zchus to be able to put the seforim away

    Let the boys who study there do it as volunteers, and they should realize that the zchus is theirs!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • zai gezunt

    now now listen bochrimlach u take a sefer out you take a sefer out u do the walkie backie and u put it backie thats what its all about……

  • Gefilteh fish

    This just shows how much we need moshiach.
    And it also shows opportunity to bring moshiach.
    We should all take a lesson from this and pay our workers on time. It’s Halacha.