There is much Torah she'b'al Peh about an alleged incident in which the Frierdiker Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Rayatz, asserted something to the effect of the main import of Gemaros such as that concerning an ox goring a cow and the ramifications being in the realm of Sisrei Torah, not in the realm of Nigleh, as that is too mundane a matter for primary concern. And that Reb Aharon Kotler responded vehemently as to the primary concern of Torah being the practice and conduct of people in their daily lives.
Last week I mentioned in a podcast that I had never been able to track down anything concrete on this contretemps (https://rygb.blogspot.com/2024/07/rischa-daraisa-season-9-episode-20.html).
With the help of my cousin, Rabbi Chaim Schochet of Monsey, today I finally found out why nothing concrete ever emerged. Because the actual battle took place between the editor of a publication that was close to Chabad, but did not represent the Rebbe himself, and Reb Shlomo Hyman of Torah VoDa'as.
Here is a brief description from Yeshurun, vol. 8 (https://hebrewbooks.org/20292):
A more extensive discussion of the incident can be found in an article on Academia
(https://www.academia.edu/34311458/סקירה_כללית_על_הקריאה_והקדושה_docx) by שלום פופר. This is an excerpt from the article (enlarge the images to read):
The author's clarification that the Rayatz himself was not happy with the article, and that the editor of HaKeri'ah V'Ha'Kedushah was not an actual Chabad Chasid are very significant.
The date of the contretemps, towards the end of 1940, essentially precludes any association with Reb Aharon Kotler, who was still in Europe at the time. The involvement of Reb Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik is very interesting!
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