The most intriguing blogger I have encountered is the fellow using the pseudonym Godol Hador. As an Orthodox blogger he is most certainly the most controversial. He has been accused of being a Kofer by many a commentator and others have encouraged me to drop the link to his blog from my own. I won't. And I seriously doubt that he is a Kofer. I believe him to be a seeker of truth who is intellectually honest. The best indicator of that was his lengthy post on Emunah entitled, “The Science of Judaism”. But his openness and commitment to allowing all opinions to be expressed, even those of admitted Kofrim make him seem anti Orthodox. He has in fact always been able to argue both sides of an argument quite adeptly. The anonymity provided by this medium has enabled him to really speak his mind... to sort of “think out loud”.
One of the biggest complaints I have heard about him is that he bashes Gedolim. This may be true but I believe that the reason he does this is not because of any inherent hatred or rebellion. He does it because he is bothered by what he and many others see as a usurpation of authority by people who say they speak in the name of a man whom the Charedi world considers the Gadol Hador, Rav Elyashiv. And because R. Elyashiv seems to continue to allow it it makes him doubt his Gadlus.
I want to make clear that I believe that Rav Elyshiv is a Gadol. That was never an issue for me. I am just describing what I believe to be Mr. Hador's attitude and his understandible reasons for it. I was not around the blogosphere when GH started but I surmise from his sub heading that the reason for starting this blog in the first place was due to his outrage at what was happening in this area...hence the choice of his pseudonym.
I don’t know who is behind the mask. I’m sure GH will have a good laugh at this and doubt that he will “correct the record” as that would risk exposing who he is. But here is what I surmise. Based on my readings, I believe him to be married, in his early thirties with a Charedi background at least in which Yeshivos he attended. He says he learned in R. Dovid’s Brisk for a while. This tells me that his level of learning is relatively high and has many Blatt of Gemarah under his belt. Combining this with his living in the Upper West Side of New York and his description of the kind of Charedim who live there tells me that he was a member of that community. As he describes it: “for the most part have slipped out of Chareidi life, though they make fake it when they go home. Often, they end up being shidduched off to other Chareidi rebels and they go live in Flatbush like everybody else...” I wouldn’t say that this is exactly who he is but I would say it is somewhat parallel to his life experience.
His intelligence is obvious. His knowledge of Torah and the Charedi world seems quite extensive based on the content of his many posts. And because of the anonymity, he is uninhibited in his writings... cathartically so..., whether in the actual text of a post or in responses to those who attack him, he usually very biting. He also uses ridicule when he thinks it is appropriate. In many ways he expresses what many Frum Jews think... or at least what an initial reaction might be to a views that seem outrageous... but no one will ever say because of the repercussions to ourselves our families our children, parents etc. This is not to say that I agree with him on everything he says. I don’t. But I think I understand where he is coming from. And I think I understand his personality somewhat. I would be willing to bet that he is quite a gentleman in his real life. He provides a forum for people with major issues about Torah Judaism, including himself, to vent. I also believe that he is very likely a much respected member of his community too, whether amongst peers or community leaders. I am sure there are people, very close friends and/or family who know who Mr. Hador really is. I am equally certain that he sometimes regrets it when he goes too far. But I am certain in the final analysis that he is L’Shma as well.
