Some observations about yeshivish people that I have met of late:
Their only concern is being a genius. They never mention Hashem. And don't even say amen to other people's brachos. Ironically, they don't even talk Torah at the Shabbos table. That's in part because they can only talk from the daf and know no halacha, hashkafa, or commentary to Chumash (they do only marbeh sedra). They also don't talk about chesed and don't seem impressed by stories of chesed. If they value good middos, it's only in that a gaon is supposed to have good middos for whatever reason so the good middos are only relevant in that they are the sign of a gaon. Actually, the middos are something of a condescension to the little people. It's not middos really. It's a kind of regal class that a CEO might even have. There are many middos and they display only a small portion of them.
I spoke of one rabbi's great humility and that didn't seem to impress any of them. They seemed almost to laugh at it as if obviously then he isn't a great scholar.
What impresses is wealth. I mentioned that the MDY center is near me. "Isn't he rich?" said one guy with eyes glowing. I mentioned that the place where we stayed was owned by a guy who lived elsewhere. "You mean he's rich," he said with eyes glowing. Such excitement.
I showed them a rabbi who is very impressive in his davening and one went by his table to see what sefarim were there.
The ones from the NY area are very closed off. They don't share. They don't inquire. The walk to shul is in silence. They seem angry and easily break into argument. A tension surrounds them. I was reminded of most of the women I met on dates, every one of them a Litvak, all tense and closed.
I proposed to one who mentioned that Torah study is the greatest mitzvah that it isn't actually and that threw him as if I had denied the existence of God. This puzzled me. And I suppose the answer is that his feeling of superiority is based on his dedication to study, and I was depriving him of that.
They seem to replace devaykus with superiority. That's their service to God that they are in the elite group.
They go to Brisk. I asked how they arrived at Brisk assuming it was because of Brisk philosophy. No, they went to Brisk because it is seen as the elite place.
The attitude of superiority was pervasive. They look down on Sephardim and Chassidim. "Oh that's Sephardim." Modern Orthodox are viewed as traife. The usual jabs at Chassidim were found: davening times, etc.
At least one of them even looks down on most of the yeshiva world. "They aren't really yeshivish."
They actually view themselves as superior in mitzvos but I believe their observance consists of obsessing over details. One said, my rebbe is great with mitzvos. He makes sure his matzos are exactly the right shiur.
I mentioned the superiority of Chassidic tznius, but that was ridiculed as being excessive over what's in the Shulchan Aruch. I countered that tznius has no limits and tznius in particular is not easily codified. It's dependent on time and place. The Mishneh Torah and the Shulchan Aruch were criticized at first because they turned halacha into technicality.
Their mitzvah observance isn't concerned with devaykus or making the world better. It's all worry over details and feeling superior because of stringencies.
Argument isn't scholarly or logical. It's largely bullying, particularly with the threat of ostracization.
They only want to daven or study in a yeshivish shul. Everything else is viewed as a bad influence. They are consumed with the idea of the bad influence. The moment you appear as such in any way they are done with you.
I mentioned that Sephardic minyanim contain all kinds of people, shtark guys and those who pull their kippah out of their pocket. I said this as a complement. This didn't seem to impress any of them. Quite to the contrary, it goes against their whole philosophy of not allowing oneself to be dirtied. One described kiruv as ruining your broom with dirt. I say, what's a broom for?
They view the Mesorah as what they heard from their rebbe. Who is their rebbe? He's a guy at their yeshiva. I think this is childish and lazy.
Their approved list of rabbis is small. Anybody who differs from them in any way is out!
Their entire philosophy of religion is contain in the Vilna Gaon's handful of sentences about the superiority of study in Shnos Eliyahu on Peah 1:1. That this contradicts his statements about the superiority of deeds in Even Shelaimah isn't considered in part because they don't know about it.
It's not just the people I have met of late. I believe all yeshivish people are like this. It's the entire society. It probably started with the Vilna Gaon but over the years became worse and worse.
The VG is looked at like Moshe Rabbeinu only infallible which Moshe wasn't. You are absolutely not allowed to argue with him.
