גיטין כג

R’ אייזל חריף was a foe of the חסידים. He once asked one of them why they revere their רבי as being קדוש. “I know him,” he said, “and he’s not a גדול בתורה at all.” The חסיד responded: “The קדושה is not dependent on תורה, but on selection. The קדושה descended upon him when he was selected by the רבים to be the רבי. It’s like תרומה. When a Jew designated plain wheat as תרומה, it immediately and automatically became holy.” רבי אייזל looked at the חסיד and said that it was apparent that he had not learned. It’s stated בפירוש in Terumos that חרש, שוטה וקטן שתרמו, אין תרומתם תרומה.

06/10/2021