A Paradigm Shift? Or One Man’s Opinion?

Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch (VIN)

Updated

It seems that there may actually be a crack in the iron wall of full time Torah study as the first and best (if not only) legitimate option of the Charedi world. This is espcailly true in Israel where learning full time is a way of life to the exclusion of everything else. The idea of working for a living is seen as B’Deived to be avoided as much as possible. Working Charedim are at best considered second class citizens. 

Although working for a living has increased over the past few years in this community, it seems to be incremental. Leaving out other considerations that have hampered Charedi men from joining the workforce (like Israel’s requirement to serve in the IDF before pursuing a career) this has been one of the primary issues that has caused friction between Charedim on the one hand and secular and Dati (MO) Jews on he other. The idea of sustaining a large and growing segment of the population that way is a burden that most Israelis will not accept. Nor should they.

But that seems to be changing. I’m not whether what Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Co-Rosh HaYeshiva of Slabodka in Bnei Brak has said is based on the grass roots reality of an increased number of Charedim that are working or an actual Hashkafa. I suspect it’s the former. But either way I am happy to hear it. Not only are there more Charedim in Israel working, in many cases they are choosing careers that require a higher education. Or at least the Charedi equivalent of that. There are for example schools that have separate gender classes that teach accounting courses only - enabling graduates to be tested and get certified.

Rav Dov Landau (Rationalist Judaism)

This is in part what Rav Hirsch, said at a gathering in Israel recently as reported by R’ Yair Hoffman at VIN:

(Referencing R’ Aharon Kotler, R’ Hirsch said) the ideal situation is for all of klal yisroel to study Torah all their lives and not be involved in anything else but Torah study. However, since this is not attainable, since people need to earn a living and engage in worldly matters in order to sustain themselves…

(In) the past twenty years, it has become clear that it is no longer possible for all avreichim to learn for their entire lives even in Eretz Yisroel…

It is imperative, however, that our attitude toward them should not be that they are balei batim who merely have a connection to the Torah, rather, our attitude must be the exact opposite:

They are Bnei Torah who had to engage in earning a living.

This is both how they must view themselves, and this is how they must be viewed by all Bnei Torah. 

My own view is that full time Torah study should only be sought by people whose talents are best suited to the task and the rest should serve God in ways best suited to their own individual talents. However, the idea that it might be an ‘after the fact’ change in attitude should not be viewed negatively. It is in fact a sea change with the potential introduce huge numbers of Charedim to the working world of the rest of society. Choosing to do exactly what they should have been doing in the first place. which is – serve God in ways best suited to their own individual talents and ability. 

Better late than never.

It is somewhat ironic that 93 year old R’ Dov Landau is his Co-Rosh HaYeshiva at Slabodka agrees with him. He  condemned R’ Shai Graucher, a Charedi hero who raised millions of dollars to help with the war in all kind of ways: 

Rav Dov Landau didn’t just say something negative about R. Shai Graucher. He condemned him in the harshest terms. He described him as a mazzik gamur, a “totally destructive person.” And he declared that this should be publicized. 

Hard for me to imagine R’ Landau agreeing to respect working Charedim as much as learning Charedim. But surprisingly - he did. As noted by Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein at Cross-Currents:

With Rav Dov Landau (who is seen as the senior figure guiding the Litvish yeshiva world) sitting at his side, Rav Hirsch spoke via video to a gathering of working charedim in Yerushalayim. He told them that they were part of the charedi world, and should continue to see themselves as proud charedim, rather than outsiders.

R’ Hirsch and R’ Landau must be given credit for the courage to recognize the realities of the Charedi world and be willing to publicly endorse a change their paradigm. I wonder, though if he will now be considered a outlier... or whether he will be seen as a visionary that saw the events of our time as a Hora’as Shah that needs to be acted upon for the very existence and perpetuation of the Charedi world. 

I sure hope it’s the latter. If  other rabbinic leaders denounce it,  that may kill the initiative and cause yet another split in the Charedi world. Which unfortunately wouldn’t be the first time a recognized rabbinic leader who is a zealot torpedoed a common sense approach to reality. There is a relatively recent precedent like that. Recall the feud between  R’ Aharon Leib Steinman and R’ Shmuel Auerbach about the draft. Which sparked some pretty violent protests by R’ Auerbach’s followers.

Will this be another rift between factions? Who knows. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what develops as the reality in Israel continues to add more Charedim into working class. Seems like this is for real.