In the course of the hakafos shniyos on Motzei Chag on Monday night at Yeshivas Ponevezh, hundreds of talmidim began singing “U’vchein tzaddikim” when the Rosh Yeshivah, HaRav HaGaon Gershon Edelstein began to speak. However, HaRav Edelstein immediately motioned for the bochurim to stop the song. In a video of the incident [seen below], HaRav Edelstein could be seen explaining his opposition to the song to Reb Leizer Kahaneman. The incident quickly became a topic of discussion as the Rosh Yeshivah generally does not stop the bochurim from singing for him. Chareidi journalist Yonasan Birnbaum explained what happened, saying that he asked a member of HaRav Edelstein’s household what the Rosh Yeshivah whispered to Reb Leizer. He said that HaRav Edelstein explained to him that he stopped the song because “it’s not appropriate to sing songs with words from the Yamim Noraim over the course of the year because it arouses the middas haDin.” One of HaRav Edelstein’s close talmidim told Kikar H’Shabbat that the Rosh Yeshivah has expressed his opposition several times in the past to Yamim Noraim songs being sung during the year. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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