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| Rabbi Ysoscher Katz |
I was contacted by Rabbi Katz who said that I was misrepresenting
his views and that he and his family were deeply hurt by my post. He actually supports Rabbi Linzer’s decision.
One of the most important things to me is Emes. Hurting people
by mischaracterizing them is the last thing I would want to do. Needless to say, it was never my intent. It was
the furthest thing from my mind.
I want to therefore publicly apologize for my error. I am
truly sorry for any hurt I caused to him and his family. And ask for their
forgiveness. I also invited Rabbi Katz to personally respond to that post and that I
would publish it. He graciously accepted. His words follow - unedited and in
full.
Dear Harry,
I was alerted to your post about YCT earlier this week and,
as I read it, was surprised to see you misrepresent my views on the issue you
were discussing and carelessly lumping it with views of others in the YCT
community who I disagree with. While I have been grappling with the complex
halakhic issues for many months, I will share my own views (as representative
of no one other than myself) at the appropriate time.
However, my contribution to my student’s alternative semicha
fund had nothing to do with my halakhic opinion. It was merely an expression of
emotional support for my student by helping him pursue an alternative semicha
in place of the one which he did not receive. I was providing chizuk to a
student בשעת צערו. I also thought it was appropriate to shell out money as a
form of expiation. I strongly believe that we need to ask forgiveness from
Ha’kadosh Baruch Hu for hurting other people, even if and when we might think
that it is justified.
I assume that you would do the same for your student, who is
like your own child, after they have been so profoundly hurt, rightfully or
not.
Having said that, allow me to add some personal thoughts
regarding my beloved student. (Again, speaking here on behalf of myself, not as
a representative of YCT or any other institution. Only R. Dov Linzer is
authorized to speak for the yeshiva.)
I have known him for a long time. He is a ben Torah and true
yerei shamayim. I am confident that will achieve his goal of reaching
existential wholeness in a manner that is yashar and correct in the eyes of
Hakadosh Baruch Hu. There will, undoubtedly, be mistakes along the way, as
happens to all of us, but ultimately, with se’yate’e deShemaya, he will arrive
at the place which God and God’s Torah demands of them.
I pray שיהי ה׳ מצליח דרכו, כי מלאכיו יצוה לו לשמרו בכל דרכיו
Be’yedidut,
Ysoscher
