Guest Post by Rabbi Dovid Landesman
It is just amazing what a casual little post like my last one can generate. The following story is quite amazing. And it reinforces my faith in the American people. It was sent as a comment to the last thread. I offer it here as a guest post.
In the late 80's [I'm not sure of the year, memory is a precious thing to lose], an NBA all-star basketball team came to Tel Aviv to play an exhibition game against Maccabee Tel Aviv [the game is in itself worth a story].
After the game, then Chief Rabbi Lau invited Kareem Abdul Jabbar and his teammates to a reception. Needless to say, the entire country [or at least those who followed basketball] could not figure out why Rabbi Lau would do such a thing.
Rav Lau later explained to the press that Jabbar [originally named Lew Alcindor] was the nephew of the first American soldier who entered Buchenwald when the American army entered the camps in 1945. Rav Lau was eight years old at the time and the sight of a extremely tall black soldier made an indelible impression and he memorized the name on the tag that the soldier wore.
When he discovered that Jabbar/Alcindor was in Israel [I would conjecture that Rav Lau's son was a fan of Maccabbee] he felt that he owed the family hakarat ha-tov and therefore made the reception.
Many years later, I heard a talk that Jabbar gave at Beth Jacob of Beverly Hills where he retold the story, mentioning that he had been amazed that Rabbi Lau a]had remembered his uncle's name and b] gone to the trouble of making a reception to express his gratitude. He told the audience that it had been a life lesson on what it means to express thanks.
Perhaps there are basketball players can teach us a little bit about midos.
Parenthetically, I would love to hear anyone who might have a reading on why LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers nominated Jay Schottenstein as his candidate for membership in Time's list of the 100 most important Americans, citing his sponsorship of the ArtScroll shas specifically.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
American Soldier - Liberator
It’s been a slow news day today. Either that or I’ve developed a case of writer’s block.
I suppose that’s a good thing to some who wish I’d just go away. The less I write the better they think. The best thing for them would be to close down this blog. But that's not going to happen. I’m going to be around awhile.
I spent a good part of the day searching for something that would pique my interest and found very little worth writing about.
I finally found a news story that typifies what this country is all about. Chesed. The US Navy actually held a memorial service about the Holocaust at the Naval Station in Pearl Harbor. This is very unlike the military in this country. They are not known for memorializing these kinds of things. If anything they are not about ethnic diversity but about uniformity. As such they tend to shy away from anything remotely ethnic. But I guess they think that the Holocaust transcends that.
On the other hand there have been some very poignant stories about the soldiers who liberated the concentration camps. Any American soldier that was involved in any way with liberating those camps came away with a profound sympathy for what the Jewish people suffered through. Those memories stuck with them the rest of their lives.
This was evident yet again in another Hollywood production. This time on TV. It was an episode of a crime show I rarely watch called CSI New York. When checking the listings last night I noticed the title of the CSI NY episode. It was called YahrZeit. Obviously that piqued my curiosity.
So I watched it. The plot was not so important to me. Nor was the inaccuracy of Jewish customs they portrayed. It was the sensitive way in which they treated the subject that was important.
In the course of the developing storyline an interesting ‘fact’ was revealed. It was about the show’s leading character played by actor Gary Sinise. It turns out that his father had been one of the soldiers who liberated one of the camps. It told of his compassion in helping the emaciated inmates he found there to the point of carrying their bodies because the inmates were so weak they could not walk.
The character was fictional but I think it represents what must have been the case many times over in those immediate post liberation days. It shows the character of the American soldier and the humility they had.
The father of the lead character had long since died when he had heard about his father’s involvement as a liberator. His father never talked about it. He was a silent hero. That reminded me of another hero. This one was real and someone I recently wrote about – Irena Sendler. She too didn’t talk about it. It took research by others to find it out and tell her story to the world.
I must give Hollywood credit once again for yet another sensitive presentation of a Holocaust related story. With all the Holocaust revisionism increasingly being attempted around the world – even by world leaders the worst of which resides in Iran. It’s nice to know that at least in this country the Holocaust will not be denied. Hollywood won’t let it. It will be remembered in all its horrific detail.
So too will the heroes of the Holocaust like the fictional character described in last night’s CSI episode. I believe he represents the entirety of those soldiers who saw the effects of the holocaust on the survivors and responded in ways described in this episode. My hat is off to actor/producer Gary Sinise for getting this episode on the air and his sensitivity to the issue. He is a truly great American and a Chicagoan to boot.
I suppose that’s a good thing to some who wish I’d just go away. The less I write the better they think. The best thing for them would be to close down this blog. But that's not going to happen. I’m going to be around awhile.
I spent a good part of the day searching for something that would pique my interest and found very little worth writing about.
I finally found a news story that typifies what this country is all about. Chesed. The US Navy actually held a memorial service about the Holocaust at the Naval Station in Pearl Harbor. This is very unlike the military in this country. They are not known for memorializing these kinds of things. If anything they are not about ethnic diversity but about uniformity. As such they tend to shy away from anything remotely ethnic. But I guess they think that the Holocaust transcends that.
On the other hand there have been some very poignant stories about the soldiers who liberated the concentration camps. Any American soldier that was involved in any way with liberating those camps came away with a profound sympathy for what the Jewish people suffered through. Those memories stuck with them the rest of their lives.
This was evident yet again in another Hollywood production. This time on TV. It was an episode of a crime show I rarely watch called CSI New York. When checking the listings last night I noticed the title of the CSI NY episode. It was called YahrZeit. Obviously that piqued my curiosity.
So I watched it. The plot was not so important to me. Nor was the inaccuracy of Jewish customs they portrayed. It was the sensitive way in which they treated the subject that was important.
In the course of the developing storyline an interesting ‘fact’ was revealed. It was about the show’s leading character played by actor Gary Sinise. It turns out that his father had been one of the soldiers who liberated one of the camps. It told of his compassion in helping the emaciated inmates he found there to the point of carrying their bodies because the inmates were so weak they could not walk.
The character was fictional but I think it represents what must have been the case many times over in those immediate post liberation days. It shows the character of the American soldier and the humility they had.
The father of the lead character had long since died when he had heard about his father’s involvement as a liberator. His father never talked about it. He was a silent hero. That reminded me of another hero. This one was real and someone I recently wrote about – Irena Sendler. She too didn’t talk about it. It took research by others to find it out and tell her story to the world.
I must give Hollywood credit once again for yet another sensitive presentation of a Holocaust related story. With all the Holocaust revisionism increasingly being attempted around the world – even by world leaders the worst of which resides in Iran. It’s nice to know that at least in this country the Holocaust will not be denied. Hollywood won’t let it. It will be remembered in all its horrific detail.
So too will the heroes of the Holocaust like the fictional character described in last night’s CSI episode. I believe he represents the entirety of those soldiers who saw the effects of the holocaust on the survivors and responded in ways described in this episode. My hat is off to actor/producer Gary Sinise for getting this episode on the air and his sensitivity to the issue. He is a truly great American and a Chicagoan to boot.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The Day My Rebbe Said Hallel
This morning I was the Shaliach Tzibur in the mainstream Chabad Shul. And although they do not recognize the Halachic validity of the establishment of the State and do not alter the Teffila in any way, I did not say Tachanun. It probably raised a few eyebrows but there were no protests… no bang on the table with a loud ‘it’s not our Minhag’. It’s true that most of the people who attend this early morning Minyan are not Lubavitchers. But it is their Shul and I want to publicly express my gratitude to this group of people for their understanding and tolerance of my breach in their Minhag HaTeffila.
How could I say Tachnun today? It would be the height of Chutzpah to not recognize this day of Yom Ha’Aztamaut and the great Chesed that HaKadosh Baruch Hu did for His people 61 yeas ago on the 5th of Iyar .
Through Nisim and Niflaous - miracles and wonders – He enabled us - the Jewish people to regain control of our land for the first time since the destruction of the Holy Temple 2000 years ago! The immediate benefits to all Jews should be obvious. The embers of Auschwitz had not yet cooled down when this happened. Jews were for the first time in 2 millennia able to ‘return to our ancestral home’ without any pre-conditions.
Jews all over the world no matter how oppressed had a place to go that would welcome them. No one could better appreciate this fact more than Holocaust survivors who had no lace to go after the war. Many of their original host countries continued their anti-Semitic Pogroms. Just prior to Israel’s existence the British Mandate who had control had all but closed the doors to them even after the war!
That period in history still moistens my eyes when I think about it. The UN approving the partition of Palestine, and the moment that Ben Gurion declared it the State of Israel- I will never forget it. Nor will I forget the immediate recognition of Israel by President Truman.
What has happened since is no less a miracle. There has been an explosion of Torah unlike any other era since the days when the Beis Hamkikdash existed. The numbers are staggering. There are more people learning more Torah with greater Hasmada than anywhere on the planet. The religious communities there are thriving. Growing exponentially with time. It is evident that without the State, there would not be the kin of Torah learning or Torah lifestyle that exists today – certainly not in the massive numbers it has.
One of the things that really bother me is the lack of recognition by the Charedi community of this great event. Even if they do acknowledge it a bit - their antagonism against the State so supersedes it that any gratitude they may have gets entirely lost. They never miss an opportunity to bash the Israeli government and in the process bring up every claim they ever had against it. It is almost as if they would rather see it fail – God forbid!
I realize of course that they do not want to see it fail. Many of them live in Israel and benefit greatly from it. No country in the world gives Charedi institutions the kind of financial aid that Israel does. No country in the world that is under constant enemy attack would exempt an entire class of people from serving in the military so that they can sit and learn Torah. And through the good graces of God and His Agent - the Israeli Defense Forces - in no country in the world has Torah flourished like it has in Israel.
How significant is the flourishing of Torah in Israel?
There is s story told about Rabbi Oscar Fasman and the Rogachover Gaon, Rabbi Yosef Rosen. Rabbi Fasman who was the founding President of HTC decided to travel to Europe and Israel (I think it was in the 1930s) to consult with all the Gedolim about his Yeshiva. The last Gadol he saw in Europe was the Ragachover. After his meeting the Ragatchver asked him where he was going next, Rabbi Fasman said ‘Eretz Yisroel” whereupon the Gaon said (in Yiddish) ‘ Eretz Yisroel?!’ ‘They don’t know how to learn there!’
By the time I was in high school the Torah world in Europe had successfully transplanted itself to the United States. The US was quickly becoming the world center of intensive Torah study. Israel was still relatively small in that respect. Yes - there were many famous Yeshivos – with new ones being established constantly - but the numbers by far were here. That has all changed now. Israel’s Torah learning has swelled both in number and in quality beyond that of the United States. It wasn’t until Israel became a State that this was able to happen.
How can any religious Jew of any stripe not have Hakaras HaTov for that? How can any religious Jew not recognize that this is a day of celebration? That today’s Israel is a gift from God? How can one ignore it and say Tachanun on a day where thousands of Jews all over the world are celebrating it?!
Holocaust survivors understand this – even the Charedi ones. They know what having a Jewish State means. My wife’s Uncle lost his entire family and was a victim of medical experimentation that caused him to become sterile. He was a devout Gerrer Chasid and was very close to the Gerrer Rebbe. He davne’d in a Ger Shtiebel everyday of the year except Yom Ha’Atzmaut. On that day he Davened with Mizrachi so he could say Hallel. Most Holocaust survivors no matter how Charedi can appreciate that even if they do not do it themselves.
And it isn’t only Torah that is flourishing. Israel has done cutting edge work in the fields of science and technology. It has had major achievements in medicine. It has produced Nobel Prize winners in many fields. A simple list of all the major achievements in Israel would fill up an entire post.
Rav Ahron Soloveichik - a Gadol in his own right - was a man who was respected by the greatest Gedolim of the 20th century. It was because of him that Rav Moshe Feinstein took on the Chumra of eating only Yashan. Rav Ahron said Hallel on Yom Ha’Atzmaut. He knew there were miracles involved in the State’s founding and that they are ongoing. I think ALL the rest of us should recognize that fact too and in some way express gratitude on this day.
How could I say Tachnun today? It would be the height of Chutzpah to not recognize this day of Yom Ha’Aztamaut and the great Chesed that HaKadosh Baruch Hu did for His people 61 yeas ago on the 5th of Iyar .
Through Nisim and Niflaous - miracles and wonders – He enabled us - the Jewish people to regain control of our land for the first time since the destruction of the Holy Temple 2000 years ago! The immediate benefits to all Jews should be obvious. The embers of Auschwitz had not yet cooled down when this happened. Jews were for the first time in 2 millennia able to ‘return to our ancestral home’ without any pre-conditions.
Jews all over the world no matter how oppressed had a place to go that would welcome them. No one could better appreciate this fact more than Holocaust survivors who had no lace to go after the war. Many of their original host countries continued their anti-Semitic Pogroms. Just prior to Israel’s existence the British Mandate who had control had all but closed the doors to them even after the war!
That period in history still moistens my eyes when I think about it. The UN approving the partition of Palestine, and the moment that Ben Gurion declared it the State of Israel- I will never forget it. Nor will I forget the immediate recognition of Israel by President Truman.
What has happened since is no less a miracle. There has been an explosion of Torah unlike any other era since the days when the Beis Hamkikdash existed. The numbers are staggering. There are more people learning more Torah with greater Hasmada than anywhere on the planet. The religious communities there are thriving. Growing exponentially with time. It is evident that without the State, there would not be the kin of Torah learning or Torah lifestyle that exists today – certainly not in the massive numbers it has.
One of the things that really bother me is the lack of recognition by the Charedi community of this great event. Even if they do acknowledge it a bit - their antagonism against the State so supersedes it that any gratitude they may have gets entirely lost. They never miss an opportunity to bash the Israeli government and in the process bring up every claim they ever had against it. It is almost as if they would rather see it fail – God forbid!
I realize of course that they do not want to see it fail. Many of them live in Israel and benefit greatly from it. No country in the world gives Charedi institutions the kind of financial aid that Israel does. No country in the world that is under constant enemy attack would exempt an entire class of people from serving in the military so that they can sit and learn Torah. And through the good graces of God and His Agent - the Israeli Defense Forces - in no country in the world has Torah flourished like it has in Israel.
How significant is the flourishing of Torah in Israel?
There is s story told about Rabbi Oscar Fasman and the Rogachover Gaon, Rabbi Yosef Rosen. Rabbi Fasman who was the founding President of HTC decided to travel to Europe and Israel (I think it was in the 1930s) to consult with all the Gedolim about his Yeshiva. The last Gadol he saw in Europe was the Ragachover. After his meeting the Ragatchver asked him where he was going next, Rabbi Fasman said ‘Eretz Yisroel” whereupon the Gaon said (in Yiddish) ‘ Eretz Yisroel?!’ ‘They don’t know how to learn there!’
By the time I was in high school the Torah world in Europe had successfully transplanted itself to the United States. The US was quickly becoming the world center of intensive Torah study. Israel was still relatively small in that respect. Yes - there were many famous Yeshivos – with new ones being established constantly - but the numbers by far were here. That has all changed now. Israel’s Torah learning has swelled both in number and in quality beyond that of the United States. It wasn’t until Israel became a State that this was able to happen.
How can any religious Jew of any stripe not have Hakaras HaTov for that? How can any religious Jew not recognize that this is a day of celebration? That today’s Israel is a gift from God? How can one ignore it and say Tachanun on a day where thousands of Jews all over the world are celebrating it?!
Holocaust survivors understand this – even the Charedi ones. They know what having a Jewish State means. My wife’s Uncle lost his entire family and was a victim of medical experimentation that caused him to become sterile. He was a devout Gerrer Chasid and was very close to the Gerrer Rebbe. He davne’d in a Ger Shtiebel everyday of the year except Yom Ha’Atzmaut. On that day he Davened with Mizrachi so he could say Hallel. Most Holocaust survivors no matter how Charedi can appreciate that even if they do not do it themselves.
And it isn’t only Torah that is flourishing. Israel has done cutting edge work in the fields of science and technology. It has had major achievements in medicine. It has produced Nobel Prize winners in many fields. A simple list of all the major achievements in Israel would fill up an entire post.
Rav Ahron Soloveichik - a Gadol in his own right - was a man who was respected by the greatest Gedolim of the 20th century. It was because of him that Rav Moshe Feinstein took on the Chumra of eating only Yashan. Rav Ahron said Hallel on Yom Ha’Atzmaut. He knew there were miracles involved in the State’s founding and that they are ongoing. I think ALL the rest of us should recognize that fact too and in some way express gratitude on this day.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Swine Flu? Oy!
Just when I thought that things were getting a bit more real in the Charedi world, I read about the first act in response to a potential health crisis by Charedi Kenesset member Yakov Litzman. He was given the Health Ministry portfolio by Benjamin Netanyahu. He has declared the word swine to be off limits.
The swine flu that suddenly appeared on the world radar screen has invaded Israel. There are supposedly two confirmed cases there now. Though it is unlikely the swine flu can be deadly. Flu epidemics can become pandemic. So the health ministry is justifiable concerned.
So what’s the first thing the Charedi head of this ministry does? He renames it. That’s right. This is what is important to him. The idea of saying the word ‘swine’ is so bad that he refuses to use that word.
Swine flu?! Heaven forfend! Let's call it the Mexico Flu.
I cannot imagine a more foolish first statement than that. It can do little else but bring laughter and ridicule against the Jewish people. This is what is important to Jews?! - The word swine?!
How absurd! If that word is good enough for the Torah then Rabbi Litzman ought to be able to bring himself to say it. After all we are not honoring a pig by naming a disease after it. It was named ‘swine flu’ because that animal is the source of the virus.
If he thinks that Jews should only utter words that are positive – even when we are talking about disease - why call it the Mexico Flu? Mexico is not a particularly positive word. Charedi is a positive word. How about calling it the Charedi Flu?
The swine flu that suddenly appeared on the world radar screen has invaded Israel. There are supposedly two confirmed cases there now. Though it is unlikely the swine flu can be deadly. Flu epidemics can become pandemic. So the health ministry is justifiable concerned.
So what’s the first thing the Charedi head of this ministry does? He renames it. That’s right. This is what is important to him. The idea of saying the word ‘swine’ is so bad that he refuses to use that word.
Swine flu?! Heaven forfend! Let's call it the Mexico Flu.
I cannot imagine a more foolish first statement than that. It can do little else but bring laughter and ridicule against the Jewish people. This is what is important to Jews?! - The word swine?!
How absurd! If that word is good enough for the Torah then Rabbi Litzman ought to be able to bring himself to say it. After all we are not honoring a pig by naming a disease after it. It was named ‘swine flu’ because that animal is the source of the virus.
If he thinks that Jews should only utter words that are positive – even when we are talking about disease - why call it the Mexico Flu? Mexico is not a particularly positive word. Charedi is a positive word. How about calling it the Charedi Flu?
Brainwashed or Lifestyle Choice?
This story is one of the strangest stories I have read in recent memory. According to a report in VIN it seems that a 17 year old young woman ran away from her own secular family to a Charedi one in Bnei Brak. She is certainly old enough to chose what kind of life she wants to lead. If she chose a Charedi family that should to be the end of the story.
But her own family members would not hear of it. They kidnapped her back. Who has the greater right in this situation? I think it belongs to the young woman in question. But there is a complicating factor here. The Charedi family she chose to be with was accused by their own children of abuse and left home because of it. Why would a 17 year old chose this family over her own?
I’m not sure what to make of this other than to say that there must be a lot more to this story than meets the eye.
Ostensibly the young woman left her home because she was tired of the rocket attacks from Gaza. How she found her way to an abusive Charedi family is not mentioned in the article.
I am not going to speculate about the reasons she is in this situation or the legalities of the kidnapping. Nor am I even certain what the right course of action would be at this point. But one thing is certain: A 17 year old young woman should be able to choose who she is without interference by anyone including her natural parents.
For their part her natural family claims she is being brainwashed by the Charedi family. I suppose that’s possible. But it is also possible that she saw what leading a religious lifestyle means and that she prefers that. On the other hand if her Charedi family is abusive - why would she prefer that? Even if she is not personally abused - abusers are hardly role models for a religious lifestyle.
After all is said and done she apparently she chooses an abusive religious family over her own secular one. On the one hand - that suggests sincerity on her part rather than a brainwashing. On the other hand there are countless stories of various cults brainwashing young people her age and even older. Was this the case here? And why would a family just take in a run-away?
She has been given the option by the Social Affairs Ministry to live apart from both her biological family and her adopted one until the courts decide the situation. If I were a judge, I would place a lot of weight on what she wants – much more than on what either of her families want. Whatever the decision, however, whether it is to allow he to live with her Charedi family or return her to her biological one - I would do it with great caution and would insist on strict and frequent monitoring by professionals to assure that there is no abuse – or brainwashing - by either side.
But her own family members would not hear of it. They kidnapped her back. Who has the greater right in this situation? I think it belongs to the young woman in question. But there is a complicating factor here. The Charedi family she chose to be with was accused by their own children of abuse and left home because of it. Why would a 17 year old chose this family over her own?
I’m not sure what to make of this other than to say that there must be a lot more to this story than meets the eye.
Ostensibly the young woman left her home because she was tired of the rocket attacks from Gaza. How she found her way to an abusive Charedi family is not mentioned in the article.
I am not going to speculate about the reasons she is in this situation or the legalities of the kidnapping. Nor am I even certain what the right course of action would be at this point. But one thing is certain: A 17 year old young woman should be able to choose who she is without interference by anyone including her natural parents.
For their part her natural family claims she is being brainwashed by the Charedi family. I suppose that’s possible. But it is also possible that she saw what leading a religious lifestyle means and that she prefers that. On the other hand if her Charedi family is abusive - why would she prefer that? Even if she is not personally abused - abusers are hardly role models for a religious lifestyle.
After all is said and done she apparently she chooses an abusive religious family over her own secular one. On the one hand - that suggests sincerity on her part rather than a brainwashing. On the other hand there are countless stories of various cults brainwashing young people her age and even older. Was this the case here? And why would a family just take in a run-away?
She has been given the option by the Social Affairs Ministry to live apart from both her biological family and her adopted one until the courts decide the situation. If I were a judge, I would place a lot of weight on what she wants – much more than on what either of her families want. Whatever the decision, however, whether it is to allow he to live with her Charedi family or return her to her biological one - I would do it with great caution and would insist on strict and frequent monitoring by professionals to assure that there is no abuse – or brainwashing - by either side.
Monday, April 27, 2009
The Severity of Desecrating God’s Name
I have said in the past that I am a big fan of ArtScroll. And though I have written about the various reservations I have and the problems they have - I still consider myself a fan - because what they do well - they really do well! The following - based on an ArtScroll footnote - is but one instance of that.
One of the things that I react to quickly is the occurrence of a Chilul HaShem – desecrating God’s Name. Very little bothers me as more than this.
This is why – for example - I will condemn the acts of a Chasidic Rebbe who was caught trying to generate donations to his institutions via abuse of the tax codes on charitable contributions. For those who don't recall here is what hapened.
He and his Shamash devised a plan to kick back to a donor most of any contributions to one of his institutions - after writing a receipt for the total. He would keep a small percentage. When these honey donations were large enough – the ‘take’ was substantial. A million dollar donation could result in a $100,000 net profit with $900,000 going back to the donor. But the donor writes off a million dollars! Everyone’s happy.
Except that this is criminal act of huge Chilul HaShem proportions. And it is because he is a Chasidic Rebbe that his Chilul HaShem is so huge. All things being equal the more religious that one portrays himself as - the bigger the Chilul HaShem.
I bring this up now because of a Gemarah in Bava Kama (113a) learned recently in DafYomi that discusses the parameters of Chilul HaShem.
ArtScroll there discusses the sources and parameters of this severe prohibition. It mirrors what I have here articulated here many times - only as mentioned it includes sources.
Chilul HaShem and Kiddush HaShem are two ends of the same spectrum.
The biblical source of the severe sin is direct command from God in the Torah itself. It is in Leviticus (22:32). ‘Do not desecrate My Holy Name – rather I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel. Anyone who sins because they don’t care about God’s will commits a Chilul HaShem. If it is done in public – defined as a minimum of 10 people – he has committed a public Chilul HaShem which s far worse. There are circumstances where one must give up his life in order to avoid that.
This transgression is more severe than any other in the Torah including idolatry. Even repentance, Yom Kipur, and suffering which can atone for the most severe sins do not absolve one who has committed a Chilul HaShem.
Chilul HaShem occurs even when it is done only in front of non Jews. If one steals from a non Jew not only is he guilty stealing he is additionally guilty of Chilul HaShem.
Indeed the stealing from a non Jew is worse than stealing from a Jew because of the attendant Chilul HaShem! That’s because the victim will not only blame the robber Jew -he will blame Judaism!
It isn’t only about money. Anyone who acts towards another - Jew or non Jew – in a manner that is perceived as unjust may have caused a Chilul HaShem. The duty to avoid such behavior is especially incumbent on conspicuous Jews - even if they only look pious. Such individuals are always judged by a higher standard. So when a pious person does things that may not be a technical violation of Halacha but are nevertheless seen that way by others – that too is a Chilul HaShem! A person who is great in Torah that causes the public to murmur against him is causing a Chilul HaShem.
If someone is recognizable as a pious Jew then even common behavior can become a Chilul HaShem if it can be interpreted negatively by the beholder. For example - buying something and not paying for it immediately can be a Chilul HaShem. Or just not speaking pleasantly to others or even not receiving others with a pleasant countenance!
The greater the scholar - the stricter he must be with himself. If such a person goes the other way and always speaks pleasantly with others, mixes with them, greets them cheerfully, when insulted – does not respond in kind, respects people even of they denigrate him and conducts all of his business affairs with integrity then he creates a Kiddush HaShem.
So the next time there is a public Chilul HaShem I’m going to condemn it just as loudly and publicly – especially if it is done by those who are the most religious in their appearance. And when there is a public Kiddush HaShem I will praise it just as loudly and publicly.
One of the things that I react to quickly is the occurrence of a Chilul HaShem – desecrating God’s Name. Very little bothers me as more than this.
This is why – for example - I will condemn the acts of a Chasidic Rebbe who was caught trying to generate donations to his institutions via abuse of the tax codes on charitable contributions. For those who don't recall here is what hapened.
He and his Shamash devised a plan to kick back to a donor most of any contributions to one of his institutions - after writing a receipt for the total. He would keep a small percentage. When these honey donations were large enough – the ‘take’ was substantial. A million dollar donation could result in a $100,000 net profit with $900,000 going back to the donor. But the donor writes off a million dollars! Everyone’s happy.
Except that this is criminal act of huge Chilul HaShem proportions. And it is because he is a Chasidic Rebbe that his Chilul HaShem is so huge. All things being equal the more religious that one portrays himself as - the bigger the Chilul HaShem.
I bring this up now because of a Gemarah in Bava Kama (113a) learned recently in DafYomi that discusses the parameters of Chilul HaShem.
ArtScroll there discusses the sources and parameters of this severe prohibition. It mirrors what I have here articulated here many times - only as mentioned it includes sources.
Chilul HaShem and Kiddush HaShem are two ends of the same spectrum.
The biblical source of the severe sin is direct command from God in the Torah itself. It is in Leviticus (22:32). ‘Do not desecrate My Holy Name – rather I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel. Anyone who sins because they don’t care about God’s will commits a Chilul HaShem. If it is done in public – defined as a minimum of 10 people – he has committed a public Chilul HaShem which s far worse. There are circumstances where one must give up his life in order to avoid that.
This transgression is more severe than any other in the Torah including idolatry. Even repentance, Yom Kipur, and suffering which can atone for the most severe sins do not absolve one who has committed a Chilul HaShem.
Chilul HaShem occurs even when it is done only in front of non Jews. If one steals from a non Jew not only is he guilty stealing he is additionally guilty of Chilul HaShem.
Indeed the stealing from a non Jew is worse than stealing from a Jew because of the attendant Chilul HaShem! That’s because the victim will not only blame the robber Jew -he will blame Judaism!
It isn’t only about money. Anyone who acts towards another - Jew or non Jew – in a manner that is perceived as unjust may have caused a Chilul HaShem. The duty to avoid such behavior is especially incumbent on conspicuous Jews - even if they only look pious. Such individuals are always judged by a higher standard. So when a pious person does things that may not be a technical violation of Halacha but are nevertheless seen that way by others – that too is a Chilul HaShem! A person who is great in Torah that causes the public to murmur against him is causing a Chilul HaShem.
If someone is recognizable as a pious Jew then even common behavior can become a Chilul HaShem if it can be interpreted negatively by the beholder. For example - buying something and not paying for it immediately can be a Chilul HaShem. Or just not speaking pleasantly to others or even not receiving others with a pleasant countenance!
The greater the scholar - the stricter he must be with himself. If such a person goes the other way and always speaks pleasantly with others, mixes with them, greets them cheerfully, when insulted – does not respond in kind, respects people even of they denigrate him and conducts all of his business affairs with integrity then he creates a Kiddush HaShem.
So the next time there is a public Chilul HaShem I’m going to condemn it just as loudly and publicly – especially if it is done by those who are the most religious in their appearance. And when there is a public Kiddush HaShem I will praise it just as loudly and publicly.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Simple Faith – Deep Faith
It is a fairly accepted belief that - as a rule - our European ancestors had a deeper and more abiding faith in God and Judaism than those of us who live in the modern era. By modern, I don’t just mean modern Orthodox. I mean anyone of us who has come in contact with modern science and modern thought on almost any level. By studying Mada – worldly knowledge - we learn more about the physical nature of God’s creation and - as well - we learn to appreciate the magnitude and magnificence of His ‘Yesh MeAyin’ creation.
But in doing so we pay a price. Because in addition to becoming more inspired about what God actually did, we also encounter difficult questions – especially in the disciplines of science, anthropology, and philosophy.
What our ancestors in Europe had that we do not have was high level of Emunah Peshuta - simple faith. This gave them a deeper faith. Their focus was not on the ‘why’ or ‘how’ of creation. But on the fact that God in all His glory created the universe in all its complexity and that He gave His Chosen people a set of laws to live by. It was pure and simple faith that provided a depth that knowledge through rational thought cannot. As a whole they had no over-riding need to find rationality in our existence and no broad and deep knowledge of Mada to raise any questions about it.
What does this say about Emunah Peshuta versus Emunah through rational thought?
I think what we experience today weakens the depth of our faith. It is a faith based less on simplicity and more on the give and take between Torah knowledge and worldly knowledge - through the medium of rational thought.
We have greater access to both the disciplines of Torah and Mada than most of our European ancestors did. And that makes Emunah Peshuta almost impossible to rely upon. Questions arise and must be dealt with. Sometimes there are just no satisfying answers and we remain with questions and contradictions. By its very nature questions weaken deep faith.
For those who have less exposure to worldly knowledge and know only Torah as is the case in Charedi Israel - simple faith is easier to achieve. Without worldly knowledge the ‘question pool’ is limited if it exists at all.
This fact is in part responsible for the increasing numbers of Frum Jews who have a crisis of faith when they encounter these contradictions.
While faith is strengthened to a certain degree when such questions are answered properly - at the same time the depth of such faith cannot be compared to the pure and unquestioning faith of Emunah Peshuta.
Does that mean worldly knowledge should be avoided ...or at least limited to what we need in order to survive which is what the Torah Only Hashkafa advocates? Perhaps they have a point. But how can you ask people to remain ignorant?
And in the current climate of instant information – it is becoming increasingly difficult if not impossible to avoid getting enough general knowledge to start having questions of faith.
And once a question enters your mind it is impossible to deny or negate it. If that thought contains a kernel of doubt without any satisfactory answers - how is it even possible to have the deep faith of our ancestors?
One of the answers that I live by that helps me to maintain my own faith in the face of unanswered questions is that the evidence of God and the truth of Torah supersedes the questions I have. My belief is based on studying both Torah and Mada and - in most cases - reconciling the two disciplines via rational thought.
What about the remaining questions? They exists and remain questions in my mind.
The Gemarah will often ask questions - discuss them - and end up with the word 'Kashe' - 'question' … and remain unanswered. The Gemarah then goes on to the next topic. The lesson learned from this is that the Gemarah recognizes that not all questions can be answered. Nor do they need to be.
There is a famous Yiddish expression that is derived from this that says ‘one won’t die from an unanswered question’ – ‘Fun A Kashe Shtarbt Min Nisht’. But one’s Emunah does get tested. And this is the price we moderns pay. But in my mind – it is better in the long run to live with knowledge and questions than to live in ignorance and no questions. Because deep faith though simple means can turn to deep doubt in an instant - if one is unprepared when encountering much of Mada.
But in doing so we pay a price. Because in addition to becoming more inspired about what God actually did, we also encounter difficult questions – especially in the disciplines of science, anthropology, and philosophy.
What our ancestors in Europe had that we do not have was high level of Emunah Peshuta - simple faith. This gave them a deeper faith. Their focus was not on the ‘why’ or ‘how’ of creation. But on the fact that God in all His glory created the universe in all its complexity and that He gave His Chosen people a set of laws to live by. It was pure and simple faith that provided a depth that knowledge through rational thought cannot. As a whole they had no over-riding need to find rationality in our existence and no broad and deep knowledge of Mada to raise any questions about it.
What does this say about Emunah Peshuta versus Emunah through rational thought?
I think what we experience today weakens the depth of our faith. It is a faith based less on simplicity and more on the give and take between Torah knowledge and worldly knowledge - through the medium of rational thought.
We have greater access to both the disciplines of Torah and Mada than most of our European ancestors did. And that makes Emunah Peshuta almost impossible to rely upon. Questions arise and must be dealt with. Sometimes there are just no satisfying answers and we remain with questions and contradictions. By its very nature questions weaken deep faith.
For those who have less exposure to worldly knowledge and know only Torah as is the case in Charedi Israel - simple faith is easier to achieve. Without worldly knowledge the ‘question pool’ is limited if it exists at all.
This fact is in part responsible for the increasing numbers of Frum Jews who have a crisis of faith when they encounter these contradictions.
While faith is strengthened to a certain degree when such questions are answered properly - at the same time the depth of such faith cannot be compared to the pure and unquestioning faith of Emunah Peshuta.
Does that mean worldly knowledge should be avoided ...or at least limited to what we need in order to survive which is what the Torah Only Hashkafa advocates? Perhaps they have a point. But how can you ask people to remain ignorant?
And in the current climate of instant information – it is becoming increasingly difficult if not impossible to avoid getting enough general knowledge to start having questions of faith.
And once a question enters your mind it is impossible to deny or negate it. If that thought contains a kernel of doubt without any satisfactory answers - how is it even possible to have the deep faith of our ancestors?
One of the answers that I live by that helps me to maintain my own faith in the face of unanswered questions is that the evidence of God and the truth of Torah supersedes the questions I have. My belief is based on studying both Torah and Mada and - in most cases - reconciling the two disciplines via rational thought.
What about the remaining questions? They exists and remain questions in my mind.
The Gemarah will often ask questions - discuss them - and end up with the word 'Kashe' - 'question' … and remain unanswered. The Gemarah then goes on to the next topic. The lesson learned from this is that the Gemarah recognizes that not all questions can be answered. Nor do they need to be.
There is a famous Yiddish expression that is derived from this that says ‘one won’t die from an unanswered question’ – ‘Fun A Kashe Shtarbt Min Nisht’. But one’s Emunah does get tested. And this is the price we moderns pay. But in my mind – it is better in the long run to live with knowledge and questions than to live in ignorance and no questions. Because deep faith though simple means can turn to deep doubt in an instant - if one is unprepared when encountering much of Mada.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Erev Shabbos Jew
During the course of a lengthy thread on an e-mail list to which I belong - someone quoted from Rav Soloveithik’s Al HaTeshuva located here. It is a lament about the loss of what he calls the ‘Erev Shabbos Jew’. Here is the quote:
"Even in those neighborhoods made up predominantly of religious Jews, one can no longer talk of the 'sanctity of Shabbat.' True, there are Jews in America who observe Shabbat... But it is not for Shabbat that my heart aches; it is for the forgotten 'erev Shabbat' (eve of the Sabbath). There are Shabbat-observing Jews in America, but there are no 'erev Shabbat' Jews who go out to greet Shabbat with beating hearts and pulsating souls. There are many who observe the precepts with their hands, with their feet, and/or with their mouths - but there are few indeed who truly know the meaning of the service of the heart!" (On Repentance, pp. 97-98)
That got me to reflect on whether I am guilty of this lack. I can understand why Rav Soloveitchik felt that way.
The vast majority of us are busy with our lives doing the things we need to do to survive and make better lives for our families. That means earning a living which - in this society - often entails working until the very last minute before Shabbos for many of us.
Women who do not work may feel it a little more of that 'Erev Shabbos' feeling since they mostly do the cooking and cleaning and are otherwise preparing the Shabbos home. But even they are busy taking care of their families. And the fact is that a great many women do work in the very same workplace as men.
But as one gets older and more mature one can truly appreciate the spiritual elevation that Shabbos brings. The more one experiences that, the more one becomes an 'Erev Shabbos Jew'. I truly do appreciate this wonderful day. I look forward to it every week and am a bit saddened as it ends.
Shabbos is a day of rest not only from the physical Melachos, it is a rest from the mental Melachos - of worrying about the details of one's daily life. When Shabbos comes we automatically switch from living in a ‘rat race’ where we worry about the necessities of life and focus on the spiritual elevation that God granted us in the from of Shabbos.
In an instant - gone are all the daily distractions of the week. No TV; No car; No computer - nothing electronic. Just enjoyment of the day in all its fullness. We focus on the family and on God. It is Shabbos that enables that. Everything we do on this day takes on an elevated aura, from the showering secifically for the day and dressing in our Shabbos clothing - to the Kiddush; to the Nitilas Yadayim; to the multi-course meal on fine tablecloths and china; to the Zemiros; to the bentching.
In my house - lights are on all over the house which makes this day a much physically brighter one than the other days of the week. We eat as a family and sometimes with invited guests together all at the same time with no one in a hurry because they have to be somewhere. There is relaxed conversation and often Divrei Torah and the mood is uplifting. After the meal many of us pick up Seforim to learn - whether on the Parsha or Halacha - things we do not find enough time for during a busy week. Thoughts of Parnassa are practically off the radar screen (under normal conditions).
Even a Shabbos nap is holy and a gift of Shabbos. I cannot take a nap during the week no matter how tired I am. But on Shabbos afternoon after reading or learning awhile - I will saunter into the bedroom for a hour or two nap.
The Shabbos Minyanim are more relaxed and we see friends and interact in ways not possible during the week. Not during Davening or Kriyas HaTorah of course - but during Kiddush. (another exclusivity of Shabbos)
Bearing all that in mind my Erev Shabbos takes on a totally different aura then any other day of the week. My entire focus is on Shabbos. It is always in the back of my mind as I anticipate its coming warmth and glow. I was also very fortunate in having my own business that I ran out of my house. I always made it one of my goals never to work a full day on Friday. Often I could avoid working on that day at all. I helped in the cleaning and shopping on that day and even made the Cholent. I still do all of those things. Even when I write my blog on Friday - Shabbos is never that far from my mind.
So although I understand the Rav's lament, I disagree that it's entirely gone. At least not for me. I may not be on the level that the Rav lament’s is gone, but I think – at least I hope - that I approach it at some level.
Good Shabbos.
"Even in those neighborhoods made up predominantly of religious Jews, one can no longer talk of the 'sanctity of Shabbat.' True, there are Jews in America who observe Shabbat... But it is not for Shabbat that my heart aches; it is for the forgotten 'erev Shabbat' (eve of the Sabbath). There are Shabbat-observing Jews in America, but there are no 'erev Shabbat' Jews who go out to greet Shabbat with beating hearts and pulsating souls. There are many who observe the precepts with their hands, with their feet, and/or with their mouths - but there are few indeed who truly know the meaning of the service of the heart!" (On Repentance, pp. 97-98)
That got me to reflect on whether I am guilty of this lack. I can understand why Rav Soloveitchik felt that way.
The vast majority of us are busy with our lives doing the things we need to do to survive and make better lives for our families. That means earning a living which - in this society - often entails working until the very last minute before Shabbos for many of us.
Women who do not work may feel it a little more of that 'Erev Shabbos' feeling since they mostly do the cooking and cleaning and are otherwise preparing the Shabbos home. But even they are busy taking care of their families. And the fact is that a great many women do work in the very same workplace as men.
But as one gets older and more mature one can truly appreciate the spiritual elevation that Shabbos brings. The more one experiences that, the more one becomes an 'Erev Shabbos Jew'. I truly do appreciate this wonderful day. I look forward to it every week and am a bit saddened as it ends.
Shabbos is a day of rest not only from the physical Melachos, it is a rest from the mental Melachos - of worrying about the details of one's daily life. When Shabbos comes we automatically switch from living in a ‘rat race’ where we worry about the necessities of life and focus on the spiritual elevation that God granted us in the from of Shabbos.
In an instant - gone are all the daily distractions of the week. No TV; No car; No computer - nothing electronic. Just enjoyment of the day in all its fullness. We focus on the family and on God. It is Shabbos that enables that. Everything we do on this day takes on an elevated aura, from the showering secifically for the day and dressing in our Shabbos clothing - to the Kiddush; to the Nitilas Yadayim; to the multi-course meal on fine tablecloths and china; to the Zemiros; to the bentching.
In my house - lights are on all over the house which makes this day a much physically brighter one than the other days of the week. We eat as a family and sometimes with invited guests together all at the same time with no one in a hurry because they have to be somewhere. There is relaxed conversation and often Divrei Torah and the mood is uplifting. After the meal many of us pick up Seforim to learn - whether on the Parsha or Halacha - things we do not find enough time for during a busy week. Thoughts of Parnassa are practically off the radar screen (under normal conditions).
Even a Shabbos nap is holy and a gift of Shabbos. I cannot take a nap during the week no matter how tired I am. But on Shabbos afternoon after reading or learning awhile - I will saunter into the bedroom for a hour or two nap.
The Shabbos Minyanim are more relaxed and we see friends and interact in ways not possible during the week. Not during Davening or Kriyas HaTorah of course - but during Kiddush. (another exclusivity of Shabbos)
Bearing all that in mind my Erev Shabbos takes on a totally different aura then any other day of the week. My entire focus is on Shabbos. It is always in the back of my mind as I anticipate its coming warmth and glow. I was also very fortunate in having my own business that I ran out of my house. I always made it one of my goals never to work a full day on Friday. Often I could avoid working on that day at all. I helped in the cleaning and shopping on that day and even made the Cholent. I still do all of those things. Even when I write my blog on Friday - Shabbos is never that far from my mind.
So although I understand the Rav's lament, I disagree that it's entirely gone. At least not for me. I may not be on the level that the Rav lament’s is gone, but I think – at least I hope - that I approach it at some level.
Good Shabbos.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Neturei Karta
Neturei Karta is abhorrent to me. That said they have every right to hold their views. Truthfully their ideology is no different than that of Satmar when it comes to the State of Israel. They see the Satmar Rebbe as their ideological head and if I understand correctly they are just a break away portion of them.
I even understand their reasons for having their ideology and respect those reasons. This may sound contradictory but it’s not. One can respect an ideology and abhor how it is implemented. Which separates them from Satmar.
I am extremely opposed to their vehement rejection of the State of Israel - and their advocacy for dismantling it. But I understand and respect the Torah basis for their views - much as I respect the Religious Zionist theological views about the State. They are polar opposite and I respect them both. And disagree with them both.
I do not wish to get into the details about theology here. I want to focus on how Neturei Karta implements their ideology. For me - that goes beyond abhorrence. Their actions so outrage me that I want to literally vomit every time I read about them. Which seems to be happening more frequently lately.
Yesterday a friend e-mailed me the VIN story (from Ynet) about a Neturei Karta protest against the moment of silence on Holocaust Remembrance Day. This is the day once a year when the entire country stops while sirens go off in memory of its victims.
It is not that Neturei Karta doesn’t have the right to protest. They do. But having the legal right to do something does not necessarily make it morally right. There are many besides Neturei Karta that in fact feel that Holocaust Remembrance Day is inappropriate for various legitimate reasons. But they understand that protesting it – especially in that exact moment is wrong – very wrong!
Yesterday during that moment of silence these people decided to dishonor the memory of six million Jewish victims, survivors, and their children by not only not standing in silence - but marching with placards denouncing it at that very moment!
Neturei Karta takes pride in this. They do not even think - or care - about whom they are hurting. Their excuse? It’s forbidden to mourn during the month of Nissan. Besides - as the Satmar Rebbe said - Zionism caused the Holocaust!
These people are from the same Neturei Karta who’s people who support Holocaust denying Iranian President Ahmadinejad and sat next to him in Geneva a few days ago during a press conference.
That shouldn’t surprise anyone. Neturei Karta wants to wipe Israel off the map too.
We are not talking about secular self hating Jews here. We are talking about very religious Jews who go to great lengths to follow Halacha in the minutest of detail and have adopted a very austere religious lifestyle. The members of Neturei Karta are about as religious as they come. And yet they do things that make Holocaust deniers proud!
My e-mailing friend made the following comment:
While I strongly disapprove of the NK's ideology and tactics, why are they any worse than the Israeli LW who basically say the same things they do?
I don’t know that I agree with that statement. But even if it’s true - the response is simple. Religious Jews ought to know better. A lot better!
Neturei Karta’s existence is an insult and embarrassment to every Jew alive today - and our ancestors! Every one of them is a walking, talking Chilul HaShem.
These people should be shunned. They should be boycotted at all levels. Their children should not be accepted into any of our schools. Their businesses should not be patronized. We should not Daven in their Shuls and they should not be given any Aliyos in our Shuls - or other Kibbudim. Their food should not be eaten and Hechsherim not be trusted. We should not be engaged with them in any way and avoid any encounter with them.
That Neturei Karta is not put into Cherem by every religious leader of any Hashkafa is wonderment to me.
I even understand their reasons for having their ideology and respect those reasons. This may sound contradictory but it’s not. One can respect an ideology and abhor how it is implemented. Which separates them from Satmar.
I am extremely opposed to their vehement rejection of the State of Israel - and their advocacy for dismantling it. But I understand and respect the Torah basis for their views - much as I respect the Religious Zionist theological views about the State. They are polar opposite and I respect them both. And disagree with them both.
I do not wish to get into the details about theology here. I want to focus on how Neturei Karta implements their ideology. For me - that goes beyond abhorrence. Their actions so outrage me that I want to literally vomit every time I read about them. Which seems to be happening more frequently lately.
Yesterday a friend e-mailed me the VIN story (from Ynet) about a Neturei Karta protest against the moment of silence on Holocaust Remembrance Day. This is the day once a year when the entire country stops while sirens go off in memory of its victims.
It is not that Neturei Karta doesn’t have the right to protest. They do. But having the legal right to do something does not necessarily make it morally right. There are many besides Neturei Karta that in fact feel that Holocaust Remembrance Day is inappropriate for various legitimate reasons. But they understand that protesting it – especially in that exact moment is wrong – very wrong!
Yesterday during that moment of silence these people decided to dishonor the memory of six million Jewish victims, survivors, and their children by not only not standing in silence - but marching with placards denouncing it at that very moment!
Neturei Karta takes pride in this. They do not even think - or care - about whom they are hurting. Their excuse? It’s forbidden to mourn during the month of Nissan. Besides - as the Satmar Rebbe said - Zionism caused the Holocaust!
These people are from the same Neturei Karta who’s people who support Holocaust denying Iranian President Ahmadinejad and sat next to him in Geneva a few days ago during a press conference.
That shouldn’t surprise anyone. Neturei Karta wants to wipe Israel off the map too.
We are not talking about secular self hating Jews here. We are talking about very religious Jews who go to great lengths to follow Halacha in the minutest of detail and have adopted a very austere religious lifestyle. The members of Neturei Karta are about as religious as they come. And yet they do things that make Holocaust deniers proud!
My e-mailing friend made the following comment:
While I strongly disapprove of the NK's ideology and tactics, why are they any worse than the Israeli LW who basically say the same things they do?
I don’t know that I agree with that statement. But even if it’s true - the response is simple. Religious Jews ought to know better. A lot better!
Neturei Karta’s existence is an insult and embarrassment to every Jew alive today - and our ancestors! Every one of them is a walking, talking Chilul HaShem.
These people should be shunned. They should be boycotted at all levels. Their children should not be accepted into any of our schools. Their businesses should not be patronized. We should not Daven in their Shuls and they should not be given any Aliyos in our Shuls - or other Kibbudim. Their food should not be eaten and Hechsherim not be trusted. We should not be engaged with them in any way and avoid any encounter with them.
That Neturei Karta is not put into Cherem by every religious leader of any Hashkafa is wonderment to me.
Exaggerations, Distortions, and Lies
There is phenomenon going on in the Jewish world today that can really hurt us if it is not stopped - and quickly! It cuts across all lines and is not the domain of only a single Hashkafa or even solely Orthodox Jewry. It is the problem of exaggerations, distortions, and outright lies – in service of a good cause.
No matter what the motive - doing things like that will ultimately get you into trouble. And if too many people from a given community do it – it reflects on the whole. That entire community will lose all credibility.
There have been a few examples of this in the media recently which illustrate this and which have very serious repercussions.
First there is the case of the Chasidic Yeshiva Boys who were arrested in Japan for being drug mules. All kinds of stories were being spread about how they were being mistreated – even to the extent of torturous conditions. Pleas were coming out from all quarters about the Pidyon Shevuyim (the Halachic requirement to redeem captives). These poor suffering innocents caught in a trap not of their own making needed to redeemed by any and all means necessary!
First of all we do not know what level of guilt or innocence these boys have. But even if you presume complete innocence the fact is that they are not being mistreated at all. In fact they are being treated quite well during their incarceration by a civilized country with a fair system of justice that operates under the rule of law. These ‘innocent’ Yeshiva Bachurim are even being provided with Kosher food.
Lawyers for these boys asked that these kinds of rumors stop because insulting the Japanese government does not benefit their situation.
I do not mean to say that we shouldn’t try to extradite them back to Israel. But besmirching Japan with lies in order to garner sympathy for their cause is counterproductive and just plain wrong. Not only that – it hurts our credibility in general – as crying wolf always does.
But nowhere is the exaggeration greater than in stories about the Holocaust. Exaggeration, embellishment, and outright fairytales seem to be rampant. Some of these stories are decades old and have never been questioned – except by Holocaust deniers.
There is one legendary story that has been told that is truly inspirational. And it could have happened (which is a requirement for believability). It is the one where an entire group of Beis Yaakov girls committed suicide rather than being violated by their Nazi captors. The problem is that there is no verification that this ever happened.
The same thing is true about the ‘apple’ story of a Jewish boy in the camps and a Jewish girl who was passing as a Gentile. They found each other during the Holocaust, separated, and then found each other again many years later. They married and lived happily ever after. Poignant - yes. But a fairytale! It never happened.
As noted Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt has pointed out - these kinds of stories undermine the legitimate claims about the Holocaust. We have enough true stories to report that are just as gut wrenching or inspiring. We do not need to make any up. Once these fairytales are exposed as lies, they turn into ammunition for all the holocaust deniers who say that we Jews always exaggerate the holocaust and are not to be trusted at all about any of our claims about it.
I cannot emphasize enough the harm this does. Who will ever believe us about anything if we lie so easily? What purpose does it serve? I know that intentions are good. Those who do and perpetuate this kind of thing do it to generate sympathy for a good cause. But ultimately they bring shame and dishonor. Sympathy turns into ridicule. Credibility turns into distrust.
Is this what being a light unto the nation means? I don’t think so. Next time anyone has the urge to embellish a story they should think twice about the consequences. They are not good.
We are a people of Emes – truth. That should be the guiding principle of all we say and do. With rare exception - veering even slightly away from that can be the slippery slope to hell.
No matter what the motive - doing things like that will ultimately get you into trouble. And if too many people from a given community do it – it reflects on the whole. That entire community will lose all credibility.
There have been a few examples of this in the media recently which illustrate this and which have very serious repercussions.
First there is the case of the Chasidic Yeshiva Boys who were arrested in Japan for being drug mules. All kinds of stories were being spread about how they were being mistreated – even to the extent of torturous conditions. Pleas were coming out from all quarters about the Pidyon Shevuyim (the Halachic requirement to redeem captives). These poor suffering innocents caught in a trap not of their own making needed to redeemed by any and all means necessary!
First of all we do not know what level of guilt or innocence these boys have. But even if you presume complete innocence the fact is that they are not being mistreated at all. In fact they are being treated quite well during their incarceration by a civilized country with a fair system of justice that operates under the rule of law. These ‘innocent’ Yeshiva Bachurim are even being provided with Kosher food.
Lawyers for these boys asked that these kinds of rumors stop because insulting the Japanese government does not benefit their situation.
I do not mean to say that we shouldn’t try to extradite them back to Israel. But besmirching Japan with lies in order to garner sympathy for their cause is counterproductive and just plain wrong. Not only that – it hurts our credibility in general – as crying wolf always does.
But nowhere is the exaggeration greater than in stories about the Holocaust. Exaggeration, embellishment, and outright fairytales seem to be rampant. Some of these stories are decades old and have never been questioned – except by Holocaust deniers.
There is one legendary story that has been told that is truly inspirational. And it could have happened (which is a requirement for believability). It is the one where an entire group of Beis Yaakov girls committed suicide rather than being violated by their Nazi captors. The problem is that there is no verification that this ever happened.
The same thing is true about the ‘apple’ story of a Jewish boy in the camps and a Jewish girl who was passing as a Gentile. They found each other during the Holocaust, separated, and then found each other again many years later. They married and lived happily ever after. Poignant - yes. But a fairytale! It never happened.
As noted Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt has pointed out - these kinds of stories undermine the legitimate claims about the Holocaust. We have enough true stories to report that are just as gut wrenching or inspiring. We do not need to make any up. Once these fairytales are exposed as lies, they turn into ammunition for all the holocaust deniers who say that we Jews always exaggerate the holocaust and are not to be trusted at all about any of our claims about it.
I cannot emphasize enough the harm this does. Who will ever believe us about anything if we lie so easily? What purpose does it serve? I know that intentions are good. Those who do and perpetuate this kind of thing do it to generate sympathy for a good cause. But ultimately they bring shame and dishonor. Sympathy turns into ridicule. Credibility turns into distrust.
Is this what being a light unto the nation means? I don’t think so. Next time anyone has the urge to embellish a story they should think twice about the consequences. They are not good.
We are a people of Emes – truth. That should be the guiding principle of all we say and do. With rare exception - veering even slightly away from that can be the slippery slope to hell.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Their Eyes Are on the Prize – of Torah
In contrast to my criticisms of Charedi society yesterday I thought I would offer the other side of the coin.
So what’s so good about Charedi society? It is their devotion to God. It is the level of dedication to Avodas HaShem - the purity of commitment and sacrifice. That is their hallmark.
If knowledge is power than Charedi Knowledge of Torah is Torah power - a spiritual power that has no peers. A true Charedi cares little about material things. He only wants to walk humbly with God and do His will. To that extent he will dedicate his life to learning how to do that via studying His Torah. This means studying it in depth and in breath. It means studying it with a level of dedication that surpasses the highest levels of learning in any university on any subject.
Charedim love God and take joy in knowing His Torah. That is their desire.Their lives are fulfilled when they feel they are doing the very best they can in service to God. The only material benefits a true Charedi seeks are those necessary to sustain them and their families. New cars, beautiful homes and furnishings, the latest electronic gadgets, expensive clothing - all have little meaning to them.
In service to Torah ideals many great Chesed projects result. A true Charedi cares about his fellow Jew. Charedi Chesed organizations are legendary. Gemilas Chesed funds abound. They are created and designed to help those who need it with interest free loans. And are generously contributed to by many Charedim of mostly modest means. Maaser Kesafim (tithing of income) is scrupulously adhered to no matter what their income is. As are all the Mitzvos in the Torah.
Mitzvos are done B’Hidur and not baseline. They want to live their lives in the highest level of spiritual purity and are willing to back it up with money. Money is not spent on better material goods but on doing Mitzvos better. It is all about more Ruchnius and less Gashmius.
Their attention to detail in Mitzvos is without peer and stems from a sincere desire to serve God in the best way possible. They try to avoid all negative influences their lives so that they can stay away from sin and focus on a pure and Torah filled lifestyle.
Happiness to a Charedi is seeing a young son learn an entire Seder Mishnayos and then making a Siyum. It is seeing a daughter get married and begin building her Bayis Ne’eman. And seeing many grandchildren following in those footsteps. The highest from of happiness is the Nachas a parent sees from a child. That is what true happiness is. It is something that lasts and is permanent. Poverty is no impediment to that kind of happiness. Money is a means to an end and not an end in itself.
Ideally learning Torah is their career. Those Charedim who are able to do that spend countless hours at it. They spend their time spanning the plumbing the depths and breath of Torah knowledge. The scope of Torah learning in a Charedi Yeshiva like a Lakewood or a Mir by the majority of their students is vast. There is no other segment of Jewry that does it on this scale.
True - there are individuals who are not Charedi that do it too, but not as a group. In most non Charedi cases - no mater how committed they are - there are things that get in the way of that kind of dedication – legitimate though they may be.
It is only the Charedi Avreich that has that kind of commitment to ‘knowing’ Torah. As a group - they have a love of learning that few others possess. And that is to be envied. As Chazal tell us - learning Torah brings one to do Mitzvos. The better one knows Torah the more accurately those Mitzvos are done.
The more one loves God the more likely one will love serving Him. That is their greatest joy. Thus as a group Charedim will do generally do things like Tefilah with more Kavana than the rest of us.
The fear of heaven is also greater to a Charedi then it is to the rest of us. They will go to the ends of the earth to avoid sin and be sheltered from it. They may not always succeed. But there is no doubt in my mind about the sincerity and the level of commitment to those goals which enable them to live a pure and holy life.
They live their Judaism in the fullest sense of the word. Torah is their number one priority and they revel in its institutions. A Siyum HaShas, a Pesach Seder, a Bris Milah, Nachas from a child who excels in his Torah learning - are examples of the high form of true happiness they can achieve.
Watching a Charedi dance on Simchas Torah is truly an inspiring sight. The level of joy that comes across – the energy that is spent celebrating God’s law rivals any joy - or expenditure of energy on it - in the secular world - like cheering at a sporting event. The joy a Charedi has in Torah stays with him forever. The joy of one’s home team winning the World Series is momentary and fleeting.
This in a nutshell is the positive side of Charedim. Like my previous post on Charedim - this is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Here too I just wanted to paint a picture. And we can all learn a lot from them.
So what’s so good about Charedi society? It is their devotion to God. It is the level of dedication to Avodas HaShem - the purity of commitment and sacrifice. That is their hallmark.
If knowledge is power than Charedi Knowledge of Torah is Torah power - a spiritual power that has no peers. A true Charedi cares little about material things. He only wants to walk humbly with God and do His will. To that extent he will dedicate his life to learning how to do that via studying His Torah. This means studying it in depth and in breath. It means studying it with a level of dedication that surpasses the highest levels of learning in any university on any subject.
Charedim love God and take joy in knowing His Torah. That is their desire.Their lives are fulfilled when they feel they are doing the very best they can in service to God. The only material benefits a true Charedi seeks are those necessary to sustain them and their families. New cars, beautiful homes and furnishings, the latest electronic gadgets, expensive clothing - all have little meaning to them.
In service to Torah ideals many great Chesed projects result. A true Charedi cares about his fellow Jew. Charedi Chesed organizations are legendary. Gemilas Chesed funds abound. They are created and designed to help those who need it with interest free loans. And are generously contributed to by many Charedim of mostly modest means. Maaser Kesafim (tithing of income) is scrupulously adhered to no matter what their income is. As are all the Mitzvos in the Torah.
Mitzvos are done B’Hidur and not baseline. They want to live their lives in the highest level of spiritual purity and are willing to back it up with money. Money is not spent on better material goods but on doing Mitzvos better. It is all about more Ruchnius and less Gashmius.
Their attention to detail in Mitzvos is without peer and stems from a sincere desire to serve God in the best way possible. They try to avoid all negative influences their lives so that they can stay away from sin and focus on a pure and Torah filled lifestyle.
Happiness to a Charedi is seeing a young son learn an entire Seder Mishnayos and then making a Siyum. It is seeing a daughter get married and begin building her Bayis Ne’eman. And seeing many grandchildren following in those footsteps. The highest from of happiness is the Nachas a parent sees from a child. That is what true happiness is. It is something that lasts and is permanent. Poverty is no impediment to that kind of happiness. Money is a means to an end and not an end in itself.
Ideally learning Torah is their career. Those Charedim who are able to do that spend countless hours at it. They spend their time spanning the plumbing the depths and breath of Torah knowledge. The scope of Torah learning in a Charedi Yeshiva like a Lakewood or a Mir by the majority of their students is vast. There is no other segment of Jewry that does it on this scale.
True - there are individuals who are not Charedi that do it too, but not as a group. In most non Charedi cases - no mater how committed they are - there are things that get in the way of that kind of dedication – legitimate though they may be.
It is only the Charedi Avreich that has that kind of commitment to ‘knowing’ Torah. As a group - they have a love of learning that few others possess. And that is to be envied. As Chazal tell us - learning Torah brings one to do Mitzvos. The better one knows Torah the more accurately those Mitzvos are done.
The more one loves God the more likely one will love serving Him. That is their greatest joy. Thus as a group Charedim will do generally do things like Tefilah with more Kavana than the rest of us.
The fear of heaven is also greater to a Charedi then it is to the rest of us. They will go to the ends of the earth to avoid sin and be sheltered from it. They may not always succeed. But there is no doubt in my mind about the sincerity and the level of commitment to those goals which enable them to live a pure and holy life.
They live their Judaism in the fullest sense of the word. Torah is their number one priority and they revel in its institutions. A Siyum HaShas, a Pesach Seder, a Bris Milah, Nachas from a child who excels in his Torah learning - are examples of the high form of true happiness they can achieve.
Watching a Charedi dance on Simchas Torah is truly an inspiring sight. The level of joy that comes across – the energy that is spent celebrating God’s law rivals any joy - or expenditure of energy on it - in the secular world - like cheering at a sporting event. The joy a Charedi has in Torah stays with him forever. The joy of one’s home team winning the World Series is momentary and fleeting.
This in a nutshell is the positive side of Charedim. Like my previous post on Charedim - this is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Here too I just wanted to paint a picture. And we can all learn a lot from them.
Justice – Denied!
Agudath Israel and Torah U’Mesorah have come up with a joint statement on New York State legislation dealing with sexual abuse. They oppose extending the statute of limitations on lawsuits against institutions in any way involved in sexual abuse – such as those that protected and continued to employ of sex abusers.
On the surface their reasons are quite valid. After expressing honest and what I believe to be genuine concern for the victims they nevertheless say that this legislation would enable old cases to be filed against institutions that have long ago gotten rid of the perpetrators - and whose entire administrations and faculties are new and innocent of any involvement.
These lawsuits if successful could destroy legitimate and fine Yeshivos and cripple Chinuch. Even if the lawsuits are unsuccessful the legal defense costs alone could be enough to close them down. Yeshivos are in enough financial stress now. This could be the Makeh B’atesh - the final blow to American Chinuch as we know it – at least in New York.
This is an understandable concern and certainly worth consideration. But in the final analysis I’m afraid I have to disagree with them. Because by doing so justice will be denied to the victim.
As I understand it the legislation is set up to eliminate frivolous lawsuits and deal only with cases where there is real evidence of abuse. Real evidence in old cases is hard to come by. Memories fade. Witnesses forget details. It is my understanding that lawsuits in old cases are therefore rarely successful and rarely brought to trial.
In those circumstances where there is real evidence - time should not be an impediment to justice. It is sad that institutions that are now perfectly fine and decent must suffer the sins of their fathers (i.e. predecessor administrations). That is an injustice of sorts too. But once again the victims come first here. One thing I know about them all is they want to see justice done against those who have hurt them and escaped punishment – whether the individual perpetrator or the institution that protected and enabled him.
If an institution like that must close that does not mean the end of Jewish education for their students. The same fine and decent people who operate it now can begin anew elsewhere with a clear name and conscience. Or the parent body can find other Yeshivos that have never had these problems
Failed Messiah has a post on this subject today. It contains the text of the statement and his views on the subject. Although I do not agree with everything he says and think the title is unfair - I pretty much agree with much of it and there is nothing more that I can really add.
On the surface their reasons are quite valid. After expressing honest and what I believe to be genuine concern for the victims they nevertheless say that this legislation would enable old cases to be filed against institutions that have long ago gotten rid of the perpetrators - and whose entire administrations and faculties are new and innocent of any involvement.
These lawsuits if successful could destroy legitimate and fine Yeshivos and cripple Chinuch. Even if the lawsuits are unsuccessful the legal defense costs alone could be enough to close them down. Yeshivos are in enough financial stress now. This could be the Makeh B’atesh - the final blow to American Chinuch as we know it – at least in New York.
This is an understandable concern and certainly worth consideration. But in the final analysis I’m afraid I have to disagree with them. Because by doing so justice will be denied to the victim.
As I understand it the legislation is set up to eliminate frivolous lawsuits and deal only with cases where there is real evidence of abuse. Real evidence in old cases is hard to come by. Memories fade. Witnesses forget details. It is my understanding that lawsuits in old cases are therefore rarely successful and rarely brought to trial.
In those circumstances where there is real evidence - time should not be an impediment to justice. It is sad that institutions that are now perfectly fine and decent must suffer the sins of their fathers (i.e. predecessor administrations). That is an injustice of sorts too. But once again the victims come first here. One thing I know about them all is they want to see justice done against those who have hurt them and escaped punishment – whether the individual perpetrator or the institution that protected and enabled him.
If an institution like that must close that does not mean the end of Jewish education for their students. The same fine and decent people who operate it now can begin anew elsewhere with a clear name and conscience. Or the parent body can find other Yeshivos that have never had these problems
Failed Messiah has a post on this subject today. It contains the text of the statement and his views on the subject. Although I do not agree with everything he says and think the title is unfair - I pretty much agree with much of it and there is nothing more that I can really add.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Knowing What’s Important
I am often asked: How does one define Charedi? Does it mean being more religious? Shouldn’t we all be striving for that? Does not the Torah demand from all of us the same level of behavior? Is someone who places the highest value on learning Torah; who is careful about his Mitzvah observance; loves God and has Him is great awe - by definition Charedi? Do not all these things indicate the highest level of observance?
One might think so. I hope that I qualify for all of the above and yet I am decidedly not Charedi.
Marty Bluke has written a post which is illustrative of what one difference might be. A Kol Korei was posted in Israel about the severity of the sin of sitting on a bus that has mixed seating.
To a Charedi these types of issues consume their thinking. They literally tremble at the thought of sitting mixed on a bus. They consider mixed seating on buses to be one the causes of our troubled times. Never mind that one of the greatest poskim of the 2oth century, Rav Moshe, permits traveling on mixed public transportation even during densly populated rush hour times! Yet something like child molestation is practically off the radar. I don’t think there has ever been a Kol Korei calling for justice in that area.
Another area that defines Charedism is apologetics. They see violence as merely an over-reaction in a justifiable cause. They will excoriate the victim more than the perpetrators of the violence – often claiming that the victims brought it upon themselves. And they condemn those don’t ‘understand’ that point as a mitigating factor.
Mesirah - informing on a Jew to secular authorities - is a far worse crime to a Charedi than just about any criminal act. Charedim are far angrier at someone who reports a Jewish criminal than they are at the criminal – no matter what the crime. They will cite chapter and verse about the severity of the prohibition against Mesirah. At best they will pay lip-service to the crime and criminal – sometimes even trying to justify it on Halachic grounds!
Charedim tend to be over-protective about their reputation and deny as false any negative reports coming from the secular media which – they say - is never to be trusted no matter how well documented.
Yet another trait of the Charedi mindset is their attitude about non Jews. Citing chapter and verse they justify an unbelievable condescending attitude. Never mind clear examples dating back from Mishnaic times all the way to our own - about how to treat one’s fellow human being. They give little consideration at all to the dignity of man - as being created in the image of God and the fallout of their negative attitudes.
Ritual performance is the emphasis of the Charedi. The stricter the better. This is where they believe their greatest salvation lies. They place extremely high value on obtaining ritual perfection whereas think little about – say - appropriate business practices. The perfect Esrog; the strictest Hechsher; Davening a 20 minute Shemonah Esreh; wearing the most Tznius clothing… everything is Mehadrin Min HaMehadrin.
For Charedim image is all important. Charedim seem to place far more value on externals. The black hat; the dark pants; the white shirt – all required apparel. This attitude is prevalent in all Charedi Yeshivos. They are the ones who for example make an issue about the style of one’s Kipa.. Try going to a Telshe or a Philly in a Kipa Seruga. ‘Not gonna happen!’ (By contrast - a Charedi style black velvet Kipa in YU is quite common and generally goes unnoticed.)
Then there is DaasTorah. They consider gospel every word uttered by those people they define as Gedolim - somtimes even in areas that these Gedolim themselves wouldn't require of them.
Last but not least is the way they deal with general society and secular education. They shun both. They see the former as an evil influence to be protected from at all cost - and see the latter as - at best - a necessary evil for Parnassa.
I know that I might be missing a few things. This was not meant to be an all inclusive list. I just wanted to paint a picture.
Now it’s true that not every Charedi thinks in all of the above terms. But there are sizable numbers that think in terms of most of them.
It is equally true that every community has its own set of problems unique to it. Certainly Modern Orthodoxy has theirs – located mostly on the other side of the religious spectrum. Ritual observance is not up to par in some of its circles. Behavior toward God sometimes gets short shrift. And those Halachos are more commonly violated by the masses. And in the left wing of Modern Orthodoxy - there are a great many Hashkafic challenges that have yet to be fully resolved.
If we ever want to see unity in Klal Yisroel we need not sacrifice our Hashkafos - just rethink our attitudes. We need to improve our behavior in areas where we are weakest - both individually and communally. We ought to rid ourselves of what is unimportant and focus on what is truly important. Our goal should be to act in ways which we think God wants us to act - with Him - and between ourselves.
Most of all it means respecting our Hashkafic differences. This means jettisoning excessive ritual Chumros of the type imposed in the above Kol Korei that can lead to violent reactions in some people. No segment of Orthodoxy whether on the right or left should try to institute behavior that is a radical departure from the mainstream– even if it is technically within Halacha.
The very first question we ask before doing anything in life – no matter how big or small should be: Is this how God wants me to act? Every act we ever do both privately and publicly should be done with Kiddush HaShem in mind. Or as my father use to put it in Yiddish: Tzu Got… und Tzu Lot - for the sake of God… and the sake of man.
If we can do that – it will be a first step towards a unified and respectful relationship. And then maybe we will actually begin to merit God’s salvation.
One might think so. I hope that I qualify for all of the above and yet I am decidedly not Charedi.
Marty Bluke has written a post which is illustrative of what one difference might be. A Kol Korei was posted in Israel about the severity of the sin of sitting on a bus that has mixed seating.
To a Charedi these types of issues consume their thinking. They literally tremble at the thought of sitting mixed on a bus. They consider mixed seating on buses to be one the causes of our troubled times. Never mind that one of the greatest poskim of the 2oth century, Rav Moshe, permits traveling on mixed public transportation even during densly populated rush hour times! Yet something like child molestation is practically off the radar. I don’t think there has ever been a Kol Korei calling for justice in that area.
Another area that defines Charedism is apologetics. They see violence as merely an over-reaction in a justifiable cause. They will excoriate the victim more than the perpetrators of the violence – often claiming that the victims brought it upon themselves. And they condemn those don’t ‘understand’ that point as a mitigating factor.
Mesirah - informing on a Jew to secular authorities - is a far worse crime to a Charedi than just about any criminal act. Charedim are far angrier at someone who reports a Jewish criminal than they are at the criminal – no matter what the crime. They will cite chapter and verse about the severity of the prohibition against Mesirah. At best they will pay lip-service to the crime and criminal – sometimes even trying to justify it on Halachic grounds!
Charedim tend to be over-protective about their reputation and deny as false any negative reports coming from the secular media which – they say - is never to be trusted no matter how well documented.
Yet another trait of the Charedi mindset is their attitude about non Jews. Citing chapter and verse they justify an unbelievable condescending attitude. Never mind clear examples dating back from Mishnaic times all the way to our own - about how to treat one’s fellow human being. They give little consideration at all to the dignity of man - as being created in the image of God and the fallout of their negative attitudes.
Ritual performance is the emphasis of the Charedi. The stricter the better. This is where they believe their greatest salvation lies. They place extremely high value on obtaining ritual perfection whereas think little about – say - appropriate business practices. The perfect Esrog; the strictest Hechsher; Davening a 20 minute Shemonah Esreh; wearing the most Tznius clothing… everything is Mehadrin Min HaMehadrin.
For Charedim image is all important. Charedim seem to place far more value on externals. The black hat; the dark pants; the white shirt – all required apparel. This attitude is prevalent in all Charedi Yeshivos. They are the ones who for example make an issue about the style of one’s Kipa.. Try going to a Telshe or a Philly in a Kipa Seruga. ‘Not gonna happen!’ (By contrast - a Charedi style black velvet Kipa in YU is quite common and generally goes unnoticed.)
Then there is DaasTorah. They consider gospel every word uttered by those people they define as Gedolim - somtimes even in areas that these Gedolim themselves wouldn't require of them.
Last but not least is the way they deal with general society and secular education. They shun both. They see the former as an evil influence to be protected from at all cost - and see the latter as - at best - a necessary evil for Parnassa.
I know that I might be missing a few things. This was not meant to be an all inclusive list. I just wanted to paint a picture.
Now it’s true that not every Charedi thinks in all of the above terms. But there are sizable numbers that think in terms of most of them.
It is equally true that every community has its own set of problems unique to it. Certainly Modern Orthodoxy has theirs – located mostly on the other side of the religious spectrum. Ritual observance is not up to par in some of its circles. Behavior toward God sometimes gets short shrift. And those Halachos are more commonly violated by the masses. And in the left wing of Modern Orthodoxy - there are a great many Hashkafic challenges that have yet to be fully resolved.
If we ever want to see unity in Klal Yisroel we need not sacrifice our Hashkafos - just rethink our attitudes. We need to improve our behavior in areas where we are weakest - both individually and communally. We ought to rid ourselves of what is unimportant and focus on what is truly important. Our goal should be to act in ways which we think God wants us to act - with Him - and between ourselves.
Most of all it means respecting our Hashkafic differences. This means jettisoning excessive ritual Chumros of the type imposed in the above Kol Korei that can lead to violent reactions in some people. No segment of Orthodoxy whether on the right or left should try to institute behavior that is a radical departure from the mainstream– even if it is technically within Halacha.
The very first question we ask before doing anything in life – no matter how big or small should be: Is this how God wants me to act? Every act we ever do both privately and publicly should be done with Kiddush HaShem in mind. Or as my father use to put it in Yiddish: Tzu Got… und Tzu Lot - for the sake of God… and the sake of man.
If we can do that – it will be a first step towards a unified and respectful relationship. And then maybe we will actually begin to merit God’s salvation.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition
Living in a Ghetto can be a pretty terrifying experience. Gang violence of the worst type can happen there. And if you happen to be a Jew living there – watch out! How bad is it? Read the following:
Vandals slashed tires on nearly 30 cars, torched a synagogue and burned a woodwork shop between Friday and Saturday night… “Some of the local kids who were probably kicked out of their homes gathered here and decided to spend the night in the synagogue," one person said. "They tore down the Torah ark covering to sleep under it, and they took all the prayer shawls in the synagogue to use as sheets. A fire broke out when they burnt prayer books, and the whole wall was set aflame.
Here is yet another description by a Jew who lives in such a neighborhood:
“Two punks came over, and they were holding a glass bottle. They shattered it on my neck. With what was left after the bottle was broken, they tried to stab me. I was rushed bleeding to the hospital where pieces of glass were extracted and I was told that it almost reached my main artery. Two weeks later my uncle who is a great rabbi here walked through the streets, and two punks came over and started pulling his beard and hitting him."
I think we ought to do everything we can to get those poor Jews out of that neighborhood. It is after all Pikuach Nefesh.
This might prove a little difficult to do however. The ghetto I am talking about is Bnei Brak. And the vandals the above excerpts from Arutz Sheva are talking about are home grown Jews from Charedi families.
To be honest when I read this article I could not believe how low a Jewish soul could sink to. Slashing throats with shards of glass?! Torching Shuls?! This is the stuff of Nazis! Not Jews. How could this happen? How can a society that produced a Ponevezh and hosted a Chazon Ish produce these kinds of youthful thugs?
It is all too easy to say that these are just hooligans and they do not represent Charedim. That is of course obvious. Charedim in Bnei Brak are their victims. But one cannot ignore the fact that they all came from Charedi homes.
I am often told that most of these kids are product of dysfunctional families. I tend to agree. The question is why are these families dysfunctional in the first place? There are many reasons for this, but I do not think we can overlook some of the obvious ones.
Conditions are ripe for producing dysfunction. Bnei Brak is all about Torah. Even for those who work - earning a living wage is nearly impossible for their large families. I am not talking about families with derelict fathers. I am talking about many mainstream Charedi families who do not have the ability to earn enough money to buy food. There are so many poor families like that in Bnei Brak that an organization was created to just provide meals to poor families. There was an article about it in the most recent Mishpacha Magazine.
Bnei Brak is one of the poorest cities in Israel. Job training is practically non existent. The schools teach Torah only – morning, noon, and night.
Not every child is capable of doing that. But there is no way out for them. They must continue in that system even if they are incapable of it. The overbearing feelings of shame and guilt…the feelings of failure must be overwhelming. The rejection by just about everyone there - from teachers to parents to peers must be unbearable.
They have no way out. No subjects they can study that will give them self esteem. No real extra curricular activities that they might excel at like sports or music. If they can’t learn Gemarah at the expected level they end up basically neglected. They do not even have any form of escape such as TV or movies. They grow up bitter and angry at the world. So they lash out.
This phenomenon has not happened in the United States yet. But we have plenty of dropouts that are going in that direction. I think it is just a matter of time until we catch up with Bnei Brak. The more we de-emhasize secular subjects and devalue the working Bal Habos, the more the chances increase for creating the kinds of criminal gangs that exist in Bnei Brak.
Is all of this a G’zera –an edict from Heaven designed to test us? Is this what Rav Salomom was talking about? Should we Daven harder for these kids? And maybe give them less homework?
I don’t think less homework is the answer to this problem.
We cannot stand idly by on our brother’s blood. Davening and religious improvement alone is not the answer. There must be change and soon. We must create an arsenal full of ammunition to fight this trend. That ammunition should include the restructuring the entire educational system in the Charedi to include valuing work.
Rav Salomon wants to eliminate homework? I think we ought to increase the focus on secular studies and gear it toward Parnassa. I think we ought to eliminate the trend toward full time learning for everyone without any thoughts to Parnassa. The last thing we need is further de-emphasis of secular studies by eliminating homework! We ought to instead instill a desire in students early on in their education to make a living. And to value those who do.
We need to treat the Bal Habos honorably. Not derogatorily as is often the case. Someone who works instead of learning full time is a lower form of life according one Charedi Mechanech influential with young people.
If Rav Salomon thinks the answer is more prayer and self examination I suggest we ought to be examining not how Frum we are but how to create a more fully productive society. Not just a monolith of Kollel learning that now loses so many people - some of whom ended up as gang members in Bnei Brak.
How many necks being slashed will it take before we look at the real problems and react appropriately? Yes we must pray to God for help. But by God – pass the ammunition!
Vandals slashed tires on nearly 30 cars, torched a synagogue and burned a woodwork shop between Friday and Saturday night… “Some of the local kids who were probably kicked out of their homes gathered here and decided to spend the night in the synagogue," one person said. "They tore down the Torah ark covering to sleep under it, and they took all the prayer shawls in the synagogue to use as sheets. A fire broke out when they burnt prayer books, and the whole wall was set aflame.
Here is yet another description by a Jew who lives in such a neighborhood:
“Two punks came over, and they were holding a glass bottle. They shattered it on my neck. With what was left after the bottle was broken, they tried to stab me. I was rushed bleeding to the hospital where pieces of glass were extracted and I was told that it almost reached my main artery. Two weeks later my uncle who is a great rabbi here walked through the streets, and two punks came over and started pulling his beard and hitting him."
I think we ought to do everything we can to get those poor Jews out of that neighborhood. It is after all Pikuach Nefesh.
This might prove a little difficult to do however. The ghetto I am talking about is Bnei Brak. And the vandals the above excerpts from Arutz Sheva are talking about are home grown Jews from Charedi families.
To be honest when I read this article I could not believe how low a Jewish soul could sink to. Slashing throats with shards of glass?! Torching Shuls?! This is the stuff of Nazis! Not Jews. How could this happen? How can a society that produced a Ponevezh and hosted a Chazon Ish produce these kinds of youthful thugs?
It is all too easy to say that these are just hooligans and they do not represent Charedim. That is of course obvious. Charedim in Bnei Brak are their victims. But one cannot ignore the fact that they all came from Charedi homes.
I am often told that most of these kids are product of dysfunctional families. I tend to agree. The question is why are these families dysfunctional in the first place? There are many reasons for this, but I do not think we can overlook some of the obvious ones.
Conditions are ripe for producing dysfunction. Bnei Brak is all about Torah. Even for those who work - earning a living wage is nearly impossible for their large families. I am not talking about families with derelict fathers. I am talking about many mainstream Charedi families who do not have the ability to earn enough money to buy food. There are so many poor families like that in Bnei Brak that an organization was created to just provide meals to poor families. There was an article about it in the most recent Mishpacha Magazine.
Bnei Brak is one of the poorest cities in Israel. Job training is practically non existent. The schools teach Torah only – morning, noon, and night.
Not every child is capable of doing that. But there is no way out for them. They must continue in that system even if they are incapable of it. The overbearing feelings of shame and guilt…the feelings of failure must be overwhelming. The rejection by just about everyone there - from teachers to parents to peers must be unbearable.
They have no way out. No subjects they can study that will give them self esteem. No real extra curricular activities that they might excel at like sports or music. If they can’t learn Gemarah at the expected level they end up basically neglected. They do not even have any form of escape such as TV or movies. They grow up bitter and angry at the world. So they lash out.
This phenomenon has not happened in the United States yet. But we have plenty of dropouts that are going in that direction. I think it is just a matter of time until we catch up with Bnei Brak. The more we de-emhasize secular subjects and devalue the working Bal Habos, the more the chances increase for creating the kinds of criminal gangs that exist in Bnei Brak.
Is all of this a G’zera –an edict from Heaven designed to test us? Is this what Rav Salomom was talking about? Should we Daven harder for these kids? And maybe give them less homework?
I don’t think less homework is the answer to this problem.
We cannot stand idly by on our brother’s blood. Davening and religious improvement alone is not the answer. There must be change and soon. We must create an arsenal full of ammunition to fight this trend. That ammunition should include the restructuring the entire educational system in the Charedi to include valuing work.
Rav Salomon wants to eliminate homework? I think we ought to increase the focus on secular studies and gear it toward Parnassa. I think we ought to eliminate the trend toward full time learning for everyone without any thoughts to Parnassa. The last thing we need is further de-emphasis of secular studies by eliminating homework! We ought to instead instill a desire in students early on in their education to make a living. And to value those who do.
We need to treat the Bal Habos honorably. Not derogatorily as is often the case. Someone who works instead of learning full time is a lower form of life according one Charedi Mechanech influential with young people.
If Rav Salomon thinks the answer is more prayer and self examination I suggest we ought to be examining not how Frum we are but how to create a more fully productive society. Not just a monolith of Kollel learning that now loses so many people - some of whom ended up as gang members in Bnei Brak.
How many necks being slashed will it take before we look at the real problems and react appropriately? Yes we must pray to God for help. But by God – pass the ammunition!
Of Holocaust Remembrances and Irena Sendler
We are now in the days of Sefiras HaOmer. This is the period between Pesach and Shavuos where we count the number of days until Matan Torah. It is a period where we mourn for the 24,000 students of Rebbi Akiva who were martyred during this time.
It is also the time where world Jewry mourns the 6 million Jews martyred during the Holocaust. One can debate the timing of holocaust memorials. Mourning is forbidden during the month of Nissan.
But I am not here to talk about this. Suffice it to say that the enormity of the Holocaust is so overwhelming that if masses of survivors and their children are involved in it, we have an obligation to respect them and not protest. Certainly 6 million martyred souls deserve that as much as 24,000 souls do.
This time of year we are flooded with holocaust remembrances of many different kinds. Yesterday in the heavily Jewish Chicago suburb of Skokie, Illinois - a new holocaust museum was opened to the tune of 74 million dollars. Money raised by the holocaust memorial association here. Former President Bill Clinton attended it and gave the keynote address. Elie Weisel spoke too. As did President Obama via remote video hook-up.
This was all very nice and a real tribute to this great country of ours that refuses to forget the Holocaust - and covers every event surrounding it all the time.
The only thing that troubles me about that is the 74 million dollars that were raised. As a child of the Holocaust – memorials are important to me. But 74 million dollars for a museum in Skokie?! Do the Jews of Skokie require that kind of memorial now – over 60 years after the Holocaust …with a national memorial in Washington DC and Yad V’Shem in Israel available to the world? I’m not so sure that a museum in Skokie was worth those charitable funds that might have been better spent elsewhere – especially now. But that is not my reason for writing this post.
That event was not the only holocaust story. Among many other stories in various different media there was a television broadcast of a true event - the Irena Sendler story – a Hallmark Hall of Fame special.
I watched it last night and frankly I was a bit disappointed. Not that it was that bad or inaccurate or unrealistic. It was in fact quite good in all those respects. Watching that dramatization - I did not have the emotional response I thought I would. It told a story that I already knew and had already reacted to emotionally. I had already imagined what happened. The visuals did not match my own imagination although the basic elements and truths were there.
I guess that’s why I was disappointed. Until the very end that is. After the dramatic presentation there was a brief clip of the real Irena Sendler who was shown in an interview before she died.
That’s when I teared. She spoke not of herself or what she did. She spoke of all the Polish women who took in the 2500 children she managed to smuggle out of the ghettos at the height of the slaughter. She asked us to remember the sacrifice the Polish women that had taken in those children on penalty of death if discovered. She spoke of the pledge she received from all of them to return those children to their families after the war.
In many cases those women became very attached to those children - as if they were their own. And yet when the time came they made good on their promise. They returned those children to whatever was left of their families. It was not easy and many of those surrogate mothers cried bitter tears when they gave up ‘their’ children to their real families. True heroes - all of them. But the greatest hero of the all was Mrs. Sendler herself. The video located here tells her story in less than 2 minutes and is well worth viewing.
It is also the time where world Jewry mourns the 6 million Jews martyred during the Holocaust. One can debate the timing of holocaust memorials. Mourning is forbidden during the month of Nissan.
But I am not here to talk about this. Suffice it to say that the enormity of the Holocaust is so overwhelming that if masses of survivors and their children are involved in it, we have an obligation to respect them and not protest. Certainly 6 million martyred souls deserve that as much as 24,000 souls do.
This time of year we are flooded with holocaust remembrances of many different kinds. Yesterday in the heavily Jewish Chicago suburb of Skokie, Illinois - a new holocaust museum was opened to the tune of 74 million dollars. Money raised by the holocaust memorial association here. Former President Bill Clinton attended it and gave the keynote address. Elie Weisel spoke too. As did President Obama via remote video hook-up.
This was all very nice and a real tribute to this great country of ours that refuses to forget the Holocaust - and covers every event surrounding it all the time.
The only thing that troubles me about that is the 74 million dollars that were raised. As a child of the Holocaust – memorials are important to me. But 74 million dollars for a museum in Skokie?! Do the Jews of Skokie require that kind of memorial now – over 60 years after the Holocaust …with a national memorial in Washington DC and Yad V’Shem in Israel available to the world? I’m not so sure that a museum in Skokie was worth those charitable funds that might have been better spent elsewhere – especially now. But that is not my reason for writing this post.
That event was not the only holocaust story. Among many other stories in various different media there was a television broadcast of a true event - the Irena Sendler story – a Hallmark Hall of Fame special.
I watched it last night and frankly I was a bit disappointed. Not that it was that bad or inaccurate or unrealistic. It was in fact quite good in all those respects. Watching that dramatization - I did not have the emotional response I thought I would. It told a story that I already knew and had already reacted to emotionally. I had already imagined what happened. The visuals did not match my own imagination although the basic elements and truths were there.
I guess that’s why I was disappointed. Until the very end that is. After the dramatic presentation there was a brief clip of the real Irena Sendler who was shown in an interview before she died.
That’s when I teared. She spoke not of herself or what she did. She spoke of all the Polish women who took in the 2500 children she managed to smuggle out of the ghettos at the height of the slaughter. She asked us to remember the sacrifice the Polish women that had taken in those children on penalty of death if discovered. She spoke of the pledge she received from all of them to return those children to their families after the war.
In many cases those women became very attached to those children - as if they were their own. And yet when the time came they made good on their promise. They returned those children to whatever was left of their families. It was not easy and many of those surrogate mothers cried bitter tears when they gave up ‘their’ children to their real families. True heroes - all of them. But the greatest hero of the all was Mrs. Sendler herself. The video located here tells her story in less than 2 minutes and is well worth viewing.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Testing Our Frumkeit
Just when I thought things are getting better, I read something in the Jewish Observer that makes me think - one step forward; two steps back. I am referring to an article based on an address given by Lakewood Mashgiach Rav Matisyahu Salomon at a recent Agudah convention.
In an attempt to try and explain the phenomenon of rebelling children he turns to religious explanations and solutions. He suggests that this phenomenon is our era’s Nisayon… our trial and tribulation - just as the Spanish inquisition was the Nisayon of that era. Are we doing what is right in the eyes of God? Apparently not it would seem. Or else we wouldn’t be having these problems.
Rav Salomon cites various examples of Gedolim in the past who - when confronted with troubling issues – cried bitter and tears and prayed for help. His message is: ‘Pour out your hearts to HaShem’ when you see rebelling children.’ ‘Let us not blame the schools or their Chinuch techniques.’ ‘That is what the mockers of Torah do.’
He says that children today are suffering a spiritual starvation - and that is why they rebel. They see parents as role models. Parents set the tone in the home. If parents do not have the right attitude in the home, the children will perforce rebel.
Would Rav Salomon say this about Rav Shach? It is well known that Rav Shach’s son ‘rebelled’. He studied at a university - receiving a PhD, was a professor at Yeshiva University and served in the Israeli Defense Forces. These are areas that were anathema to Rav Shach.
I’m sure that Rav Salomon would find a way to explain that without detracting from his premise. But this example serves to illustrate the fallacy in focusing solely on the religious example one sets in the home.
I do not question Rav Salomon’s motives. They are pure. It is always a good idea to reflect on our lives and see where we can improve. And prayer is always warranted in times of trouble – as it is even in times relatively free of trouble in the form of Hakaras HaTov – gratitude.
But to focus exclusively on religiosity makes it seem like all else is for naught. He makes no mention at all of well researched and well known multiple causes for rebelling children. Nor does he mention any of the solutions suggested by professionals - some already implemented in his own community.
On the contrary. He says that blaming our schools is what scoffers and mockers do - and we ought to stop! ... as if it were perfect the way it is - the way it has always been. It is as if all the innovations developed in recent years do not exist. There are no problems with our current form of Chinuch - a Chinuch that has left countless numbers of children behind because they couldn't keep up - became discouraged and turned 'elsewhere' for support.
I would ask the esteemed Mashgiach why he did not make reference to any of that? Not one sentence in the entire article. Not a word. No - it is all about God’s Nisyaon for us. Focus on that - and eventually all will be well.
If one takes Rav Salomon's words at face value - and dismisses or ignores the actual causes and the corrections already in place - it should follow that we should dispense with faulting the system in all other areas where problems exist. Or taking any practical steps – whether individually or communally - to help solve them.
Mental disorders like clinical depression - don't look for causes or cures. Psychotherapy and medications? ... a waste of time and money. Based on the article - prayer and tears is all we need. Any epidemic will disappear if we just Daven enough. But I respectfully ask, could the suicides that have taken place in Lakewood in the past – one very recently - have been avoided if the Roshei Yeshiva and students there had Davened harder? Is there anyone who seriously believes that the Roshei Yeshiva and students in Lakewood do not Daven hard enough?
Perhaps we could take Rav Salomon's thought even further. Why put all our efforts into treating physical illness with modern medical techniques? Why bother looking for causes and cures? If we are today experiencing an epidemic of cancer, let us just Daven harder and not bother with modern medicine.
I should add that there has been a lot of prayer on behalf of my grandson and I am extremely grateful for that. Tens of thousands of people have doing that - and still are. But should we have ignored the chemotherapy - and only just Daven harder?
What about child molestation? Are children being abused because we aren’t setting good religious examples in the home?! Perhaps we need not be so concerned with the predators in our midst and realize that God is just testing us!
Rav Salomon would probably strongly deny that he meant we should ignore medical treatment for physical illnesses. He might even concede that we should seek professional help for those who have mental disorders like clinical depression. …And that we ought to be doing more to recognize those among our youth with the potential for rebellion. …And that child molestation needs to be dealt with in practical terms too. He probably even supports research in all of these areas and lauds the progress that has been made.
But one could not see that from the article. All you can see there is Frumkeit. Why are we having these problems? We aren’t Frum enough. Nothing else mentioned. Nothing else matters.
In an attempt to try and explain the phenomenon of rebelling children he turns to religious explanations and solutions. He suggests that this phenomenon is our era’s Nisayon… our trial and tribulation - just as the Spanish inquisition was the Nisayon of that era. Are we doing what is right in the eyes of God? Apparently not it would seem. Or else we wouldn’t be having these problems.
Rav Salomon cites various examples of Gedolim in the past who - when confronted with troubling issues – cried bitter and tears and prayed for help. His message is: ‘Pour out your hearts to HaShem’ when you see rebelling children.’ ‘Let us not blame the schools or their Chinuch techniques.’ ‘That is what the mockers of Torah do.’
He says that children today are suffering a spiritual starvation - and that is why they rebel. They see parents as role models. Parents set the tone in the home. If parents do not have the right attitude in the home, the children will perforce rebel.
Would Rav Salomon say this about Rav Shach? It is well known that Rav Shach’s son ‘rebelled’. He studied at a university - receiving a PhD, was a professor at Yeshiva University and served in the Israeli Defense Forces. These are areas that were anathema to Rav Shach.
I’m sure that Rav Salomon would find a way to explain that without detracting from his premise. But this example serves to illustrate the fallacy in focusing solely on the religious example one sets in the home.
I do not question Rav Salomon’s motives. They are pure. It is always a good idea to reflect on our lives and see where we can improve. And prayer is always warranted in times of trouble – as it is even in times relatively free of trouble in the form of Hakaras HaTov – gratitude.
But to focus exclusively on religiosity makes it seem like all else is for naught. He makes no mention at all of well researched and well known multiple causes for rebelling children. Nor does he mention any of the solutions suggested by professionals - some already implemented in his own community.
On the contrary. He says that blaming our schools is what scoffers and mockers do - and we ought to stop! ... as if it were perfect the way it is - the way it has always been. It is as if all the innovations developed in recent years do not exist. There are no problems with our current form of Chinuch - a Chinuch that has left countless numbers of children behind because they couldn't keep up - became discouraged and turned 'elsewhere' for support.
I would ask the esteemed Mashgiach why he did not make reference to any of that? Not one sentence in the entire article. Not a word. No - it is all about God’s Nisyaon for us. Focus on that - and eventually all will be well.
If one takes Rav Salomon's words at face value - and dismisses or ignores the actual causes and the corrections already in place - it should follow that we should dispense with faulting the system in all other areas where problems exist. Or taking any practical steps – whether individually or communally - to help solve them.
Mental disorders like clinical depression - don't look for causes or cures. Psychotherapy and medications? ... a waste of time and money. Based on the article - prayer and tears is all we need. Any epidemic will disappear if we just Daven enough. But I respectfully ask, could the suicides that have taken place in Lakewood in the past – one very recently - have been avoided if the Roshei Yeshiva and students there had Davened harder? Is there anyone who seriously believes that the Roshei Yeshiva and students in Lakewood do not Daven hard enough?
Perhaps we could take Rav Salomon's thought even further. Why put all our efforts into treating physical illness with modern medical techniques? Why bother looking for causes and cures? If we are today experiencing an epidemic of cancer, let us just Daven harder and not bother with modern medicine.
I should add that there has been a lot of prayer on behalf of my grandson and I am extremely grateful for that. Tens of thousands of people have doing that - and still are. But should we have ignored the chemotherapy - and only just Daven harder?
What about child molestation? Are children being abused because we aren’t setting good religious examples in the home?! Perhaps we need not be so concerned with the predators in our midst and realize that God is just testing us!
Rav Salomon would probably strongly deny that he meant we should ignore medical treatment for physical illnesses. He might even concede that we should seek professional help for those who have mental disorders like clinical depression. …And that we ought to be doing more to recognize those among our youth with the potential for rebellion. …And that child molestation needs to be dealt with in practical terms too. He probably even supports research in all of these areas and lauds the progress that has been made.
But one could not see that from the article. All you can see there is Frumkeit. Why are we having these problems? We aren’t Frum enough. Nothing else mentioned. Nothing else matters.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
A True Baal Chesed
Last Shabbos - Chol HaMoed Pesach - my wife and I had the pleasure of enjoying the morning Seudas Shabbos with her sister and her husband. An elderly neighbor of theirs was invited to join us. During the course of the meal she recounted an inspiring true story about her son that happened about forty years ago.
Her son was then in his late teens - making him about my age. He was a student at a Yeshiva in New York and on his way back to Chicago to visit his parents. While at New York’s LaGuardia Airport he suddenly realized that he had inadvertently packed his ticket into his checked baggage. There was no way to retrieve it and the airline had no record of it.
The young fellow had no cash or credit cards and panicked. From a distance he saw what looked like a religious Jew. He ran over and indeed it was. He wore a large black Kipa on his head and had a trim red beard. He looked rather distinguished – like a Rav, a Rebbe or Rosh Yeshiva.
The young man tried to impress upon this Rav that he was in legitimate trouble and not some sort of scam artist. He even told him what Yeshiva he attended hoping that he would be believed and somehow helped. After hearing this young fellow, the Rav immediately took out his wallet and gave him money to purchase another ticket.
It turned out that the Rav was going to Chicago too - and - on the same flight. So they boarded the plane and flew to Chicago together.
When they arrived at O’Hare Airport the Rav asked if the young man had arranged a ride home. He had not. The Rav told him to stay with him as his son was going to pick him up. When his son arrived he told him to take this young man home first. His home was at least two miles out of the way.
When they arrived the amount of gratitude the young man had was beyond expression. He asked if the Rav would wait a moment so he could run in and get money from his mother to pay him back for the ticket. He ran in and begged his mother to give him the amount of the fare and he would explain it all later. That she did.
That is a measure of true greatness. He did not know this young man. He was not a part of his community. But that did not matter.
This was a man who thought of others first - giving little thought to his personal welfare. He did not hesitate a moment to help out a fellow Jew with money out of his pocket.
What was his attitude about money? ‘Money is Bloteh’! (mud) …he once told his son-in law, Rabbi Raphael Marcus, ZL. R’ Marcus on a particular visit explained that he flew separately from his wife in order to save money on airfare. One should never fly separately from one’s wife just to save money he was told.
Nor did his own life matter when it came to saving a fellow Jew. He had to be restrained from going into a burning building to try and personally save some students that were in there. Fortunately no one died or was even hurt in that fire.
And now… the rest of the story (…as I pay homage to Paul Harvey).
The woman who told us this story did not know me. We never met until last Shabbos. She certainly didn’t know I was a student of that Rav… Rav Ahron Soloveichik who had recently become the Rosh HaYeshiva of HTC. She only wanted to tell an inspiring story about her son and Rav Ahron - the man who brought him home.
Just one small story of many in the inspiring life of a Gadol.
Good Yom Tov.
Her son was then in his late teens - making him about my age. He was a student at a Yeshiva in New York and on his way back to Chicago to visit his parents. While at New York’s LaGuardia Airport he suddenly realized that he had inadvertently packed his ticket into his checked baggage. There was no way to retrieve it and the airline had no record of it.
The young fellow had no cash or credit cards and panicked. From a distance he saw what looked like a religious Jew. He ran over and indeed it was. He wore a large black Kipa on his head and had a trim red beard. He looked rather distinguished – like a Rav, a Rebbe or Rosh Yeshiva.
The young man tried to impress upon this Rav that he was in legitimate trouble and not some sort of scam artist. He even told him what Yeshiva he attended hoping that he would be believed and somehow helped. After hearing this young fellow, the Rav immediately took out his wallet and gave him money to purchase another ticket.
It turned out that the Rav was going to Chicago too - and - on the same flight. So they boarded the plane and flew to Chicago together.
When they arrived at O’Hare Airport the Rav asked if the young man had arranged a ride home. He had not. The Rav told him to stay with him as his son was going to pick him up. When his son arrived he told him to take this young man home first. His home was at least two miles out of the way.
When they arrived the amount of gratitude the young man had was beyond expression. He asked if the Rav would wait a moment so he could run in and get money from his mother to pay him back for the ticket. He ran in and begged his mother to give him the amount of the fare and he would explain it all later. That she did.
That is a measure of true greatness. He did not know this young man. He was not a part of his community. But that did not matter.
This was a man who thought of others first - giving little thought to his personal welfare. He did not hesitate a moment to help out a fellow Jew with money out of his pocket.
What was his attitude about money? ‘Money is Bloteh’! (mud) …he once told his son-in law, Rabbi Raphael Marcus, ZL. R’ Marcus on a particular visit explained that he flew separately from his wife in order to save money on airfare. One should never fly separately from one’s wife just to save money he was told.
Nor did his own life matter when it came to saving a fellow Jew. He had to be restrained from going into a burning building to try and personally save some students that were in there. Fortunately no one died or was even hurt in that fire.
And now… the rest of the story (…as I pay homage to Paul Harvey).
The woman who told us this story did not know me. We never met until last Shabbos. She certainly didn’t know I was a student of that Rav… Rav Ahron Soloveichik who had recently become the Rosh HaYeshiva of HTC. She only wanted to tell an inspiring story about her son and Rav Ahron - the man who brought him home.
Just one small story of many in the inspiring life of a Gadol.
Good Yom Tov.
Monday, April 13, 2009
A Seder, a Chanukah Party, and Iran
Last Thursday night President Obama had a Pesach Seder in the White House. I believe it is the first Seder ever to be held there – at least the first one with the President in attendance. In fact it seems from the pictures I’ve seen that at the President actually led the Seder.
I do not wish to be cynical here. I actually believe that the President meant this as a good will gesture for American Jewry and an educational experience for his children (and even himself). I fully appreciate that he seeks Jewish community approval. He is going to need it. More about that later.
I must admit that I am not as impressed by this event as I was by former President Bush's last Chanukah Party there. There are several reasons for this. First I doubt that the Pesach Seder was Kosher. I have not read anywhere that the White House kitchen was Kashered for Pesach. Second I doubt that any Orthodox Jews were there. The two most prominent Jewish members of the President’s Staff - Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod - were not there. It seemed like mostly a small affair that included Jews as well as non Jews. Put all of this together and it diminishes – at least for me - the impact of a first time Seder in the White House.
Contrast that to the annual Chanukah party established by former President George W. Bush. That was an amazing event. It showed the truly graciousness nature of the former President's freindship with the Jewish people. That surpasses any symbolism the event may have generated.
Over Shabbos I happened to read a detailed account of the last Chanukah Party held at the White House and I was amazed at how gracious the former President and First Lady were. They went the extra mile to see to it that - though it was not held on Chanukah proper - it was more than just symbolic. Much more! It should a true act of friendship by an outgoing President with nothing political to gain.
Here are some of the details. Former First Lady Laura Bush had seen a previous Chanukah party that had a mix-up with the Kosher food and the non Kosher food and insisted that that all future Chanukah parties be fully Kosher to prevent such mix-ups and so that everyone there would be comfortable with the level of Kashrus. The last party had a White House kitchen fully Kashered and was catered by a top Kosher Caterer in the Washington D.C. area - featuring a top notch cuisine.
There were Jews of all stripes there including Orthodox - Shaitel wearing - women. In fact there were far more Orthodox Jews than non Orthoox Jew proportional to their representation in the Jewish population.There were Jewish members of Congress there from both parties – including Senator Joe Lieberman. One of the rooms in the East Wing (where the ceremony was held) was given over to hold Minyanim – twice!
The President did not feel that he had to ‘lead’ he ceremonies and instead gave it to descendant’s of David ben Gurion and President Harry Truman. President Bush greeted all of his guests that evening personally. The event was preceded by a meeting between President Bush and Jewish leaders who discussed issues related to Israel and education.
And President made sure to be there hurrying home from a surprise visit to Iraq where had had just been dishonored by a shoe throwing Arab.
So forgive me if I am far more impressed by a Chanukah party by the former President than I am by a Seder led by the current one.
But - as I said, President Obama meant well and he does need to build up his political capital with his Jewish constituency. I’m not so naïve to think that Jewish support was not a significant factor in his election victory. And the President is not so naïve to think he can’t lose it. I believe that may have played into his political calculus.
That’s because he is trying something relatively new in foreign policy. He wants to re-establish what he feels the former President lost over the last 8years. Respect. Respect from Europe – and the Muslim world.
Instead of confrontation and the big stick, he wants to use diplomacy and speak softly. To that extent he has just completed his first foreign trip where he bent over backwards to apologize for American arrogance. I happen to believe there is no apology warranted. But that is another subject. What really worried me was his pandering to the Muslim world and specifically Iran. He wants to talk. So does Iran. They now welcome American overtures.
Well… what could be better than that? We can have peace in our time! With an all out push by Iran for nuclear weapons what better time to talk than now - especially when Europe has been criticizing America for failing to do that under Bush? Maybe talking will work better than military threats?
Great goal. Peace in our time. Who could disagree with that? The problem is that given the facts about Iran’s non-negotiable goals where Israel is concerned - where can the conversation go? What exactly is there to talk about? Even if Iran were to have a price for actually stopping their nuclear program it would have to include implementing in some way their goal for Israel. - which is wiping it off the map.
I don’t see how talking will change that. I am convinced that Iran’s other needs – no matter how important - are all back burner when it comes to Israel’s existence. Israel is a theological thorn in their side that must be eliminated.
Is the President so naïve that he thinks he can speak softly to Iran thereby getting them to back off from these goals? I’m afraid that the answer is that yes! I believe foreign policy advisers think they can appeal to common sense existential issues of Iranian leaders. But they do not understand the radical Islam that has been the hallmark of the Islamic revolutionary leadership – extant since the Carter era.
I know that the President will not sell out Israel. He has clearly stated that - and I believe him. He considers Israel to be an important ally. But I do think he is mistaken about Iran changing their mind about Israel. Discussions with Iran will therefore not lead to good things for the Jewish people and Israel - although I am convinced that the President thinks it will. He realizes that the loyalty of Jews who care about Israel will be put to the test as he embarks on this new foreign policy journey. We have a right to be worried about it - Seder or no Seder.
I do not wish to be cynical here. I actually believe that the President meant this as a good will gesture for American Jewry and an educational experience for his children (and even himself). I fully appreciate that he seeks Jewish community approval. He is going to need it. More about that later.
I must admit that I am not as impressed by this event as I was by former President Bush's last Chanukah Party there. There are several reasons for this. First I doubt that the Pesach Seder was Kosher. I have not read anywhere that the White House kitchen was Kashered for Pesach. Second I doubt that any Orthodox Jews were there. The two most prominent Jewish members of the President’s Staff - Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod - were not there. It seemed like mostly a small affair that included Jews as well as non Jews. Put all of this together and it diminishes – at least for me - the impact of a first time Seder in the White House.
Contrast that to the annual Chanukah party established by former President George W. Bush. That was an amazing event. It showed the truly graciousness nature of the former President's freindship with the Jewish people. That surpasses any symbolism the event may have generated.
Over Shabbos I happened to read a detailed account of the last Chanukah Party held at the White House and I was amazed at how gracious the former President and First Lady were. They went the extra mile to see to it that - though it was not held on Chanukah proper - it was more than just symbolic. Much more! It should a true act of friendship by an outgoing President with nothing political to gain.
Here are some of the details. Former First Lady Laura Bush had seen a previous Chanukah party that had a mix-up with the Kosher food and the non Kosher food and insisted that that all future Chanukah parties be fully Kosher to prevent such mix-ups and so that everyone there would be comfortable with the level of Kashrus. The last party had a White House kitchen fully Kashered and was catered by a top Kosher Caterer in the Washington D.C. area - featuring a top notch cuisine.
There were Jews of all stripes there including Orthodox - Shaitel wearing - women. In fact there were far more Orthodox Jews than non Orthoox Jew proportional to their representation in the Jewish population.There were Jewish members of Congress there from both parties – including Senator Joe Lieberman. One of the rooms in the East Wing (where the ceremony was held) was given over to hold Minyanim – twice!
The President did not feel that he had to ‘lead’ he ceremonies and instead gave it to descendant’s of David ben Gurion and President Harry Truman. President Bush greeted all of his guests that evening personally. The event was preceded by a meeting between President Bush and Jewish leaders who discussed issues related to Israel and education.
And President made sure to be there hurrying home from a surprise visit to Iraq where had had just been dishonored by a shoe throwing Arab.
So forgive me if I am far more impressed by a Chanukah party by the former President than I am by a Seder led by the current one.
But - as I said, President Obama meant well and he does need to build up his political capital with his Jewish constituency. I’m not so naïve to think that Jewish support was not a significant factor in his election victory. And the President is not so naïve to think he can’t lose it. I believe that may have played into his political calculus.
That’s because he is trying something relatively new in foreign policy. He wants to re-establish what he feels the former President lost over the last 8years. Respect. Respect from Europe – and the Muslim world.
Instead of confrontation and the big stick, he wants to use diplomacy and speak softly. To that extent he has just completed his first foreign trip where he bent over backwards to apologize for American arrogance. I happen to believe there is no apology warranted. But that is another subject. What really worried me was his pandering to the Muslim world and specifically Iran. He wants to talk. So does Iran. They now welcome American overtures.
Well… what could be better than that? We can have peace in our time! With an all out push by Iran for nuclear weapons what better time to talk than now - especially when Europe has been criticizing America for failing to do that under Bush? Maybe talking will work better than military threats?
Great goal. Peace in our time. Who could disagree with that? The problem is that given the facts about Iran’s non-negotiable goals where Israel is concerned - where can the conversation go? What exactly is there to talk about? Even if Iran were to have a price for actually stopping their nuclear program it would have to include implementing in some way their goal for Israel. - which is wiping it off the map.
I don’t see how talking will change that. I am convinced that Iran’s other needs – no matter how important - are all back burner when it comes to Israel’s existence. Israel is a theological thorn in their side that must be eliminated.
Is the President so naïve that he thinks he can speak softly to Iran thereby getting them to back off from these goals? I’m afraid that the answer is that yes! I believe foreign policy advisers think they can appeal to common sense existential issues of Iranian leaders. But they do not understand the radical Islam that has been the hallmark of the Islamic revolutionary leadership – extant since the Carter era.
I know that the President will not sell out Israel. He has clearly stated that - and I believe him. He considers Israel to be an important ally. But I do think he is mistaken about Iran changing their mind about Israel. Discussions with Iran will therefore not lead to good things for the Jewish people and Israel - although I am convinced that the President thinks it will. He realizes that the loyalty of Jews who care about Israel will be put to the test as he embarks on this new foreign policy journey. We have a right to be worried about it - Seder or no Seder.
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