Branding him a heretic, Shach was at the forefront of a campaign which banned all his works, believing that his literary and psychological explanations of biblical characters and events rendered them heretical. He also slated his translation of the Talmud, describing it as being written in the style of a secular book causing "any trace of holiness and faith to vanish." Waldenberg wrote that he was shocked to see the way in which Steinsaltz described the Patriarchs and Talmudic sages, writing that the works had the power to "poison the souls" of those who read them.
Shach accused Steinsaltz of heresy for his interpretations of biblical characters and events, leading a campaign to ban all of his works. He also criticized Steinsaltz's translation of the Talmud, calling it secular and harmful. Waldenberg was disturbed by Steinsaltz's portrayal of the Patriarchs and Talmudic sages as potentially corrupting.