Are the Extremists Winning?

Just when I thought it was time to change the subject, as if on cue, I read today of two unrelated events in Klal Yisroel that emphasizes the point made in the last post. The first is the unfortunate passing of Rabbi Yosef Sheinberger, head of the Edah HaCharedis. Why is this significant to me? After all have I not severely criticized this organization many times for many disparate things, from its tepid response to a gay bath house under its control, to its strident rejection of the State and its military forces during a time of war? Yes I have and they deserved it. But what is interesting here are the words of Rav Meshi-Zahav, Rav Sheinberger’s grandson and founder of the amazing ZAKA. Apparently if I thought they were extreme till now, “I ain’t seen nothing yet!”

“Meshi-Zahav pointed to recent incidents as examples of the lack of political leadership within the Edah Haredit. One example was the resent body snatching of a Beit Shemesh woman. The body was reportedly held overnight in a slaughterhouse refrigerator by the more zealot members of the Edah Haredit that were fearful of a state autopsy.”

According to Meshi-Zahav, the Edah is now rudderless and the extremists were prevented by his grandfather from running the show. I can’t wait to see what happens now.

The second event is the investigation of some Religious Zionist Rabbis who actually Paskin’d that General of the IDF central command, Yair Naveh is Chaiv Misah for authorizing restraining orders against West Bank settlers. Are these fringe Rabbis? That depends on what one thinks of "a group of rabbis linked to the revived Sanhedrin: ...Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, the head of the Jerusalem Temple Institute, Rabbi Yehuda Edrey, of the movement to rebuild the temple; Bar Ilan Literature Professor Hillel Weiss; Rabbi Rueven Hass and Rabbi Ido Alba." Truth is I don’t know if they are a fringe element or not, although I would hope they are.

I fully expect all the nay sayers to come out and now bash the nefarious government for daring to start a probe against these God fearing Rabbanim. After all the current Israeli government is in fact the guilty party here. The poor settlers are the innocent victims of government brutality.

But that is the wrong focus. The focus should be on the extreme position taken by these Rabbanim:

“About two weeks ago, a group of rabbis linked to the revived Sanhedrin movement - or high court of Jewish law - ruled that Naveh was guilty of three crimes: "Causing the masses to sin"; being a "moser" - someone who informs against fellow Jews or hands over Jews or Jewish land to gentiles; and terrifying the public in a blasphemous way.”

”In their decision, the rabbis referred to a ruling made by the 12th century Jewish philosopher Maimonides, according to which "it is permissible to kill a moser everywhere, even in this time when the courts do not rule on capital cases.”

How wonderful. How loving of Torah these Rabbanim must be. I’m sure they think their words are meant as a religio-political statement and not a call to action. But I’ll bet that those who said similar things about Itzhak Rabin participation in Oslo at the time thought the same thing. What they do not realize is that there are serious people in their midst who do not take a Psak like this lightly. Certainly Yigal Amir didn’t. I can’t wait for the next Yigal Amir to rise to the call now!

Someone suggested that perhaps that extremism is a function of the Israeli mindset. At the time I thought that to be of overstatement, since I can easily point to violent mob-like incidents by religious Jews right here, in the United States. But the truth is that I think he is on to something. It isn’t like I didn’t think of it myself. But I just never focused on that aspect to be a significant one. But the fact that both these groups, the Edah HaCharedis and the Religious Zionists are on the opposite ends of the theological debate about the State of Israel yet both have siginficant extremists who act on those beliefs, makes me think that the extremism is a way of life there. It is moderation that seems to be abnormal!

Everything in Israel seems to be extreme. Whether it is extreme religiosity or extreme secularism, Israel has it in spades.

Extremism in the Defense of an Hashkafa... Is Evil

The BaDatz of the Edah HaCharedis has deplored violence and bleach spraying! So says a commenter who linked to a post from a November 30th edition to Fred’s blog. Yes they have condemned violence and said it is K’Neged HaTorah .

And that’s supposed to make me feel better. After all they condemned it. Shalom Al Yisroel. Everything is fine now. We know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. As has been quoted many times from them: “They are hooligans and do not represent us.”

But these kinds of statements avoid the very serious root of these problems, extremism. And I am not talking about extremes within just one segment of the Torah world. I am talking about extremism in all segments. And it does exist in all segments.

That there is extremism in all segments of society should not surprise anyone. It is part of the human condition. And is often the product of the fringes of that community who are taking to extremes, attitudes and policies that are part and parcel of that community. So, when it comes to Neturei Karta embracing a Soneh Yisroel like Ahmadinejad, they are merely carrying to an extreme, the virulent anti Medina Hashkafos of Satmar, their parent Hashkafa. One has to realize that when one preaches hate, it won’t take long before extremists take that hatred to the next level.

The same thing is true when it comes to Religious Zionists. Every responsible Religious Zionist leader condemned Yigal Amir’s act of murder. But Yigal Amir was not raised in a vacuum. He was brought up in a climate of hatred. And his murderous act was just an extention of the hateful way that Hashkafa was taught by certain segments of Religious Zionists.

Extremism can take many forms and be a product of a single issue of any particular constituency. If, for example, one is brought up in a climate of extreme Tznius and taught that the slightest infraction is evil incarnate, it won’t take long for extremists from that society to bleach an innocent passerby based on those Hashkafos… or to beat up a woman who challenged them on their turf.

Extremism in Lubavitch has produced its share of violence, not too long ago at their world headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. But the greater danger is the tendency of some to take the Rebbe worship to extremes that border on heresy. If one worships a human being to the extreme level that Lubavitch does, well… we just saw what could happen. It is inevitable when that level of worship of a human being is preached.

The Yeshiva world has it’s share of violence too. Just look at what’s going on in Ponevezh. Blood has been drawn there. And bombs have gone off! But the real danger there is the long term consequences of taking Torah L’Shma to extremes. A dependency class of impoverished families has been created by this extreme attitude.

Modern Orthodoxy gets no free pass from me on this either. The extremists there may not be guilty of physical violence but there certainly exists an extremism that is harmful, in my view. There are lines crossed by the Left wing of Modern Orthodoxy that are theologically dangerous, as when a group of Catholic Cardinals were invited to come and learn Torah with students in the YCT Beis Hamedrash, or when socially based feminism or pluralism drives some of the left wing modern Orthodox agendas.

Any philosophy can produce extremist behavior. And when there is violence produced each segment needs to examine its philosophy and see the very poisonous fruit of their trees. Especially when there are virulent attitudes expressed about those they oppose. If one preaches hate one should expect hateful acts from the fringe elements of that community. If one preaches extreme views on some issue one can expect extreme acts. If one preaches Modernity or Rebbe worship, one can expect extreme interpretations of that from some members of that community.

It would behoove the entire Torah world of us to not preach extreme views. One can teach Hashkafos without preaching hatred. For example, Satmar should stop cursing the Medina every chance it gets. It can be opposed to it. It can lament the fact that according to their Hashkafa there is much that is wrong with the Medina. It can even say that it believes the State of Israel to be illegitimate. But the rhetoric coming out of Satmar is hateful and not that far off from that of Neturei Karta. Neturei Karta has just taken it to the next level. The same can be said of the more strident segments of the Religious Zionists. If you keep calling government officials thugs and criminals, what do you think the extremists of that camp will do? What is their “next level”?

I’m not going to be able to solve all the problems that exist in the Torah world with one post… or even many posts. All I can do is point them out when I see them. And try to explain why I think some of these Chilulei HaShem exist in the hope that some of my thinking will be heard somehow by those in a position to do something about it. And that brings me back to this Kol Koreh.

It’s great that the Edah HaCharedis condemn a condemnable act. They state unequivocally that it is Assur to damage private property or do bodily harm in pursuit of Tznius. But this is after the fact. It would be much nicer if they could be Mechanech their people in less extreme ways. That would certainly help prevent such things from ever occurring in the first place.

Protecting Our People from the Truth

It is so telling of the mindset of the Charedi world when one sees an event taking place like the one described in Rafi’s Blog. The event I am taking about is the banning of yet another set of books. It is the thinking of the family of the author of those books that they do not eant him to be “tainted” by his past. So they apparently requested the ban. What books are we talking about here? Another Nosson Slfkin Book? ...The family can’t take the controversy anymore and they just want to keep it off the shelves? Nope. It is a ban of a Halacha Sefer . One written by the Tzitz Eliezer. From the blog:

“The Tzitz Eliezer wrote a set of books in 1952 called "Hilchot Medina" - halachos of the State [of Israel], dealing with issues involving Medinat Yisrael and rulership.”

The family wants the Tztiz Eliezer firmly ensconced in the Charedi world.

“The Bada"tz has assured the book, possibly at the urging of the family members against it, and has banned it. In addition, they have sent out enforcers to local bookshops in Meah Shearim-Geula and in Bnei Brak to make sure the reprinted books are taken off the shelf.”

As I said last Friday, the current rabbinic leadership is “Takana happy”. And this is just another example of it. It is an attempt to so control the minds of its flock that they refuse to countenance any deviation from their narrow Hashkafos... even when it involves a Posek of the stature of Rav Eliezer Waldenberg.

And so they revise history. Any attempt at accuracy that does not reflect their narrow Hashkafa is deemed ban worthy. Ask Rav Nosson Kaminetsky. I’m sure he would agree, I guess he is a Charedi or Gadol basher too.

So, too, do we have an archival post in Frumteens referred to me by “Happy”. This post is that is so rejecting of the kind of Yiddishkeit taught at YU, they have to lie about Gedolim they venerate just to make the point:

“Rav Aharon Kotler ZTL, and Rav Schneur ZTL after him, would under no circumstances even walk into YU. Rav Elchonon Wasserman ZTL also, when he came to America in the '30s, was invited to speak in YU, and he refused to even walk in to the place.”

History has recorded that at the same time that Rav Wasserman refused an invitation to give a Shiur at Yeshiva College, Rav Aharon Kotler accepted. He gave a Shiur and was very well received. And Frumteens also conveniently ignores the fact that Rav Shimon Shkop was the Rosh HaYeshiva there for a year... and many other Gedolim of that stature taught there over the years.

It is interesting to note that cross-currents has just made the same point I have been making. That is quite amazing. Cross-currents is basically, though not entirely, a Charedi blog. They rarely take positions that would not accord with the Agudah Moetzes position. In fact they list Agudah spokesman, Rabbi Avi Shafran amongst their team of posters. Yet they had the courage to post the following statement in a blog-post by a guest poster:

“In his introduction to BeReishis (Genesis) the Netziv (Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, pre-eminent 19th century European sage) suggests that lack of tolerance for Torah viewpoints other than one’s own is the very cause of destruction(of the Beyis Sheni).”

In the final two paragraphs the post on cross-currents states:

“We have reached the stage at which there is only one ‘acceptable’ view on most topics, the opinions of previously-well-respected Jewish thinkers are no longer considered party line; we have our own censored publications to ensure that no-one finds out about them anyway. Suggesting that this impacts only on a small part of Israeli society is to bury our heads in the sands of a global Jewish reality.”

“Hardly a week goes by without another decree: a few weeks ago it was the banning of higher-education courses for Israeli women, last week, the emphasis on policing ‘kosher’ clothes shops in religious districts.”

To readers of this blog, these two paragraphs should sound very familiar. It is an affront to the Elu v’Elu Chazal spoke of when a set of Halacha Seforim by a Gaon Atzum like the Tzitz Eliezer has to be Assur'd by the rabbinic leadership of the Edah HaCharedis whose definition of Daas Torah is amongst the narrowist of Torah Judaism.

The New Christians?

Once again I am forced to write on a subject that is extremely painful to me. It is one that that has become a lightening rod of controversy in our time. And it encompasses hundreds of thousands of religious Jews. Some would say that these Jews are amongst the most Medakdek B’ Mitzvos of all segments of observant Jewry. I am, of course, talking about Lubavitch.

I have written many times about Lubavitch and their over emphasis on their deceased Rebbe. I believe that this over-empahsis is the direct cause of all of their problems, of which there are many. But all pale in comparison to their biggest problem, that of the rampant Meshichism in their midst.

The mainstream leadership claims that they are anti Meshichist. And it is true that there have been and continues to be major fights between the Lubavitch ‘antis’ and the Meshichists. In some instances there has even been violence between them. But I have always maintained that the truth is more along the lines of degree. That is - whether or not that belief should be publicized or internalized and kept secret.

The one thing that there seemed to be universal condemnation of is the idea of the Rebbe as a god. For the most part even the Meshichists condemned that. This is what makes what I encountered today so upsetting. And it made me angrier than I’ve ever been about Lubavitch. Here is what happened:

My Daf Yomi Shiur is in the mainstream Lubavitch Shul. It is so anti Meshichist that they just about physically threw out the Meshichisten among them. Those Moshichisten actually opened up their own Shul - Beis Moshiach - because of it.

There are also two Lubavitch girls high schools here. The Meshichsit high school opened up the same way the Beis Moshiach did. The leaders of the mainstream Lubavitch girls high school fired their Meshichist principal and she opened up a Meshichist branch. It has been very successful.

I walked into the Shiur room this morning and saw that the mainstream girls high school had worked on a project the night before. I noticed centerpieces there apparently for some kind of upcoming Seudah. They were made out of dolls, each one representing some aspect of the Rebbe. Table four had a centerpiece doll dressed up like a king. Here is what the caption on the bottom of that centerpiece said:

“A Jewish King is Atzmus U’Mehus Melubash B’Guf, the representation of Hashem in a body in this world yet He is the head of the Jewish body, completely given over to the people and their physical needs. The Rebbe, our Melech, is the ‘memutza hamichaber’ the connecting force, between Hashem and us. How do you like that? Hashem in a body!”

Remember, this is the mainstream anti-Meshichist school. And the Melave Malka was held in the mainstream anti Meshichist Shul.

God in a body?! I spoke the the Shul Rabbi, Rabbi Baruch Hertz, about it and he was visibly shaken. He told me he would correct the situation and that this is merely a mistake the girls made in understanding 'Atzmus U’Mehus Melubash B’Guf'... a Chasidic concept.

Is their anymore room for doubt about the Christian nature of Lubavitcher belief about their Rebbe? I know the Chasidic theology behind this statement. It is the idea that a human being has the ability to approach Godliness in his life through his deeds. The greater an individual is in this respect the more Kedusha (holiness) he achieves and the closer he gets to Godliness. But this is what happens when Rebbe worship is taken to the extreme that Lubavitch takes it. It crosses the line into Avodah Zarah. MaMaSh!

Modesty Standards?!

This is maddening! Once again the rabbinic leadership in Israel has issued Taliban like decrees. This is unprecedented in modern times. Here are the rules as published in the Yated:

1. There are families that do not meet modesty standards and when the time comes to register their children in educational institutions they encounter difficulties getting accepted at the educational institutions and then they turn to Vaadas HaRabbonim LeInyonei Chinuch with various pledges. We hereby declare in the name of Vaadas HaRabbonim that all of these families must start conforming now at the beginning of the year rather than crying out after the fact, for those who do not conform to the directives of rabboseinu gedolei Yisroel forfeit their right to make demands of the city's educational institutions.

2. The gathering calls on clothing stores not to sell clothes that do not conform to the instructions issued by the rabbonim. Doing so constitutes an act of causing the buyers and the public to stumble, and they are accountable for the public's sin. As in other cities, this should be buttressed by only patronizing stores that receive certification.

3. Since the beis din is required to oversee public places to prevent people from socializing improperly it has been decided to set up Agudas Hashomrim, which will dispatch hundreds of avreichim to stand watch on these matters.

4. Under the current set of circumstances on public buses it is very hard to maintain proper modesty with women walking down the aisle past the men, both in terms of the men and the women themselves, therefore it has been decided to arrange to have women board via the rear door and the public is asked to assist in upholding these arrangements. HaRav Braverman then read the main takonos issued in accordance with gedolei Yisroel.

As I said in a previous post, it isn’t that I am upset that there are people who feel that the types of modesty standards observed by the most Machmir of Rabbanim aren’t legitimate. They are. That’s not the issue. The issue is the stridency by which those standards are insisted upon and imposed… and the lengths gone to enforce them. This is a grossly unfair imposition by minority upon the majority.

Today’s rabbinic leadership seems to be “Takana happy”. They seem to impose them almost willy nilly.. Previous Gedloim were not that cavalier about making Takanos at the drop of a hat. Even when there were wide spread violations of Hilchos Tznius in the sixties, there were no Takanos made. Just Teshuvos or public statements emphasizing and reminding people of the Issurim involved.

I wish today’s rabbinic leadership would take a lesson from the leadership of the past!.

I received a note about this from someone who I greatly respect and admire. He wishes to remain anonymous. Here are his words:

“This is just crazy! Refusing entry into yeshivos kids whose families don't live up to modesty standards and having women enter buses through the back. And sending kollel avreichim on modesty patrols -- that's just asking for trouble (and aren't they being paid to learn Torah?). Another reason to be MO.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Catching Flies with Honey

There is a discussion going on at Areivim that revolves around what our approach to Kiruv should be, specifically with respect to members of the Conservative movement. A poster related a story about a Conservative neighbor who wondered if driving to his Conservative Shul every Shabbos was worth it. Orthodox Shuls were not an option to him since he had tried them and found them very uncomfortable. He asked whether he should continue driving to that Shul or whether his time would be better spent working around the house or going shopping.

Many posters responded with very terse rhetoric. In one instance it was suggested that we compare his Conservative Shul to eating a MacDonald’s cheeseburger.

In my view this would be a terrible move, especially in the current climate of the Conservative movement.

What is being glossed over the fact that the Conservative movement is undergoing a split between their Right Wing and their Left Wing. One of the issues they are struggling with is whether they should be considered a Halachic movement or not. Of course Orthodoxy does not consider it Halachic in any way.

Within their HaMon Am which consists primarily of the jewishly uneducated masses, a great many of them seek spirituality in some way. Many actually want to do Mitzvos. They just don't know how. These Jews are extremely ripe for proper Kiruv. It does no good to tell someone who has had a bad experience in Orthodox Shuls after trying them to just forget the “MacDonald’s Cheeseburger” that is a Conservative Shul.

The famous (or should I say infamous) incident with Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Reinman illustrates just how ripe members of non-Orthodox movements are for Kiruv. As a Charedi Rav Rabbi Reinman had somehow gotten into an e-mail correspondence with a Reform rabbi, developed a friendship with him, and ultimately collaborated together with him to write a successful book based on those correspondences. He scheduled a book tour with that Reform Rabbi and they actually made one appearance together.

But he was immediately asked by the Agudah rabbinic leadership to stop the tour and withdraw his book from circulation as they felt it was giving tacit recognition to a rabbinic leader of the Reform movement. I questioned the wisdom of that edict at the time. But more important are the comments made by Rabbi Reinman at the tine. During his very public contrition in the “Jewish Observer” to the rabbinic leadership and withdrawal of his book, he said his only regret was that he had been able to reach large numbers of Jews, here-to-fore not accessible to anyone working in Kiruv… and engage them in a dialogue. He felt the potential to engage with these people on such a mass scale was an opportunity lost.

The last thing we need to do is alienate these wonderful Jews, all of whom are Tinokos SheNishbu, from Orthodxy. And this is what would happen if we tell them that their Rabbi is an Apikores and they might as well be eating Treif, so stay away. The Rabbi of that Shul might just be one of those who not only wants to retain his movement as a Halachic one, and actually wants to make his flock more observant. The Rav himself may be one of those who are ready to break from the movement because of its leftward pull… and ready for Kiruv himslef.

What should be our approach? It should be one of kindness and understanding. In no way should our approach be confrontational. In no way should we respond to them by slamming the institution (even though we know it to be part of a false movement) that is currently keeping them interested in Judaism. Instead we should be trying to gently wean them away from C. Doing that requires that we not be seen as antagonistic to it, lest they discount us altogether as just haters of all non-Orthodox Jews, which of course is not true.

I'm not a fan of Left Wing Modern Orthodoxy. Far from it. But as a Kiruv tool for sincere Conservative Jews, it can be a great plus. It might just be the kind of Orthodoxy that appeals to them. To the individual in the example above who was asking for guidance and who had a negative Orthodox Shul experience, recommending a Modern Orthodox Shul like Rabbi Avi Weiss's Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, might just be what he needs to make the move. The similarities between the decorum of a Conservative Shul and Left Wing Modern Orthodox Shul might make such a move more palatable for them. And it would be a huge step, one that crosses the line away from Apikursus into one which is a part of Orthodoxy.

Expulsion, Money, and the Greater Good

I am a big fan of Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblum. And I usually agree with his take on most issues. But somehow I find it hard to believe that the words in a cross-currents essay were written by him. In fact I note at the bottom of the essay that it was co-authored by an individual named of Hershel Brand. So I’m not sure these are exactly Rabbi Rosenblum's words.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach had written an op-ed back on January 7th upon which I commented at the time. But it was an entirely different aspect of that article. In the cross-currents article Rabbi Boteach was taken to task for his lack of understanding about expulsion policies... or rather apparent lack of them when called for by Israeli Yeshivos and women’s seminary heads. Rabbi Boteach excoriated the arrogance of these educators for thinking they can solve the serious problems of young post high school students and therefore refusing to expel them. This he claimed caused the other students to be exposed and influenced by their bad behavior. In defending these educators from that proposition, the cross-currents essay claims:

“Even in the classic Lithuanian yeshivot, the decision to expel a student is typically treated as one of life and death, and certainly never to be undertaken lightly.”

And

“Moreover, his suggestion that the decision not to expel students with drug and alcohol problems is financially driven insults a group of highly dedicated educators.”

I am very troubled by these assertions. I realize that in many cases there are indeed decent and dedicated Roshei Yeshiva and Menahalim who do care and take great pains to do what’s right. They know when to retain a child they can help, and when to to transfer him or her to institutions with good track records that specialize in problems they know they can't handle. Or, as a last resort to expel a truly irredeemable child.

But this is not a universal truth. And the exceptions are huge. Too huge to make the kinds of blanket assertions that the cross-currents article makes. There are two instances that I will relate that will show just how untrue are these assertions of universal caring for the individual child and not letting money influence their decisions. In both cases, the institutions are mainstream and well respected. And in both cases money influenced their decisions, the greater good being served.

I was a high school student in Telshe (Cleveland) in 1960-62. This was the era of Rav “Motel” Katz, Rosh HaYeshiva. The S’gan Roshei Yeshiva were Rav Mordechai Gifter, ZTL, Rav Baruch Sorotzkin, ZTL, and Yibadel L’Chaim Tovim Aruchim, Rav Chaim Stein, Shlita.

There were two high school students there who used to habitually violate some of the more overly stringent rules. The rules for high school students at the time was that they could not participate in local “Goyishe” recreational activities like going bowling even during their free time. They were admonished about doing this from time to time by the Rosh Mechina (high school Hebrew principal) in Shmuessen (public Hashkafa talks) give in the Beis HaMedrash.

These two students didn’t think much of those Takanos and they habitually violated them, by going bowling on their free time. One time after such a Shmuess, these two boys snuck out and went bowling anyway. It was on a Motzoei Shabbos. And they were caught in the act. Two of the high school Roshei Yeshiva walked into the bowling alley and took them back to the Yeshiva campus. One of those boys was immediately expelled. The other went on about his business as though nothing had happened, not being punished in the slightest.

To be expelled for going bowling hardly took into account the spiritual well being of the child. He was humiliated and so were his parents. And he was about to have a big black mark on his record. But that didn’t matter to these Roshei Yeshiva. The greater good needed to be served. They wanted to be rid of someone who they thought to be a rotten apple. After all he broke the rules. He went bowling!

But the other child who was equally guilty of the same infraction got a pass. Why? His father was a wealthy benefactor whose generosity enabled their branching out succesfully to another city. They did not want to jeopardize that relationship. So one boy was expelled for breaking a relatively minor rule and the other boy… nothing!

I was there. And I have intimate knowledge of both boys and the situation. They were good boys with no past history of rebellion. Certainly there was never at any time in their lives any violation like drinking or any other substance abuse. Certainly nothing like “being dragged back after curfew after partying with a bunch of girls”!

Nope. They just went bowling. That was it! One got expelled. He was immediately told to pack his bags and his father was called to pick him up! The other boy got off scott free. Eventually the father of the expelled boy pleaded with the school and they relented. They required a Mashkon from him of $500 to guarantee that the boy would not stray again. And they regimented this young man with a number of additional strictures such as never being able to leave the campus grounds without explicit permission over the course of the rest of that year.

I’ve seen this scenario played out in various different ways in other Yeshivos many times since then. In one instance back in the eighties, a young decent boy was expelled for infractions that were far less severe than those of other boys who were allowed to stay... and by “pure co-incidence” ...whose parents were wealthy and generous patrons of the school. The boy who was expelled had to be made an example of, despite the fact that his spiritual well being was put in tremendous jeopardy. The greater good needed to be served! If not for one caring Rosh Yeshiva who went out of his way to stay close to his Talmid during that trying time, who knows where this fellow would be today? Because of this RY the young individual eventually became a big Talmid Chacham.

So please do not preach about Lithuanian Yeshivos, never treating a decision to expel a child as one of life and death, or that money is never an issue. I have seen it with my own eyes and have personal and intmate details about each case. And it is simply not true.

24: The Doomsday Scenario

There is one program on broadcast television that is truly worth watching. It is the Fox series 24. It is the only series telling the truth. And it clearly explains why the United States is fighting a war in Iraq.

The storyline involves a Muslim terrorist who has somehow gotten into his possession 5 portable nuclear weapons. He actually detonates one of them in Los Angeles… and is threatening to detonate others. Unlikely scenario? Fantasy? Read on.

There was a column in the Jerusalem Post which I read over the weekend. It was an analysis of current events pertaining to the State of Israel. And it was frightening.

It predicts another holocaust for millions of Jews living in Israel. Not a long drawn out one with many tortures and degradations like the previous one. This one will be rather instant. And the rationale behind this doomsday prediction is not that far fetched.

I have written before about my pessimistic views about this issue and this prediction fits in quite well with the scenario as I saw it… and still see it. The scenario I am speaking about is that of a religious fanatic, a duly elected leader of his nation, who is quickly becoming a major player on the world scene. One who is unabashedly seeking to become a nuclear power. And one who has promised to wipe Israel off the map. I am of course talking about Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

One may think, “Don’t be ridiculous! No sane person will ever risk committing genocide against another nation, especially not against Jews. Not after the holocaust. The world will not stand for it. He would never risk doing so and becoming a pariah even to his own Muslim constituency. Besides... using nuclear weapons is an unthinkable proposition under any circumstances. Well, think again.

This modern day Haman is no ordinary leader. The holocaust is not an issue for him. He is a true believer. He believes that God is totally on his side. The removal of Jewish control over Palestine is a religious imperative… a Yehoreg VeAl Yavor. His theology is goal oriented. Means do not matter in this theology as long as the objective is reached. Those means can include genocide not only of the infidel Jews, but even the hundreds of thousands of faithful Muslims that would be collateral damage in a nuclear attack against Israel. Every Muslim is a soldier whose life is ready to be sacrificed Al Kiddush HaShem… which in this case is returning Palestine back to Muslim dominance.

Since the world has shown itself incapable of stopping Iran from producing a nuclear weapon, it is only a matter of time before Ahmadinejad attacks Israel with missiles equipped with nuclear warheads. And the most powerful nation in the world, the US, can’t do anything about it. They are stuck in an unpopular war in Iraq with barely enough troops to stop the turmoil there. There is no possible way the US will even consider sending troops into Iran, a bigger and more militarily capable country one whose religious fanaticism has been growing for over 27 years now. An entire generation of Islamists has been raised under it. The determination of a fervently religious Islamist leader combined with the religious fervor of an ever growing Islamist populace makes this doomsday scenario a real possibility.

A pre-emptive strike by the US will not happen. If they are attacked, the resulting hostilities there will make Iraq look like child’s play. And even if the President wanted to do it, congress would never allow it and cut off funding immediately.

Israel is not in a position to do anything about it either. A pre-emptive strike trying to take out Iran’s nuclear reactors is a near impossibility. Iran learned from Israel’s attack on the Iraq’s Nuclear Reactor in Osiraq. That was only one, and it was out in the open. No problem for the crack IDF pilots of 1981. Iran’s nuclear facilities are numerous and well hidden. An attack will just make them angry! And they will retaliate with everything they’ve got.

Should anyone suggest a nuclear attack by either Israel or the US against Iran, that’s not going to happen either. The US cares too much about killing innocent people. And Israel does too. Besides if Israel did do something like that it would mean its demise anyway. They would be considered a genocidal nation and would lose the support of the only friend in the world it has. A friend vital to its existence.

So there you have it. The stage is set. Will it happen? God forbid. I hope not.

There are of course variables that are unknown or as of yet undetected, that will effect any eventuality. And of course there is Siyata D’Shmaya.

In my humble opinion we ought to Daven. Hard!

Much Appreciated

Well! It seems I’ve won an award.

I’m not exactly sure what that means. Nor am I sure how or why I won. Here is an explanation from their website:

"JBlog Central is proud to present the best of the Jewish Blogosphere as voted by a record-breaking number of site visitors who form the basis of our community. This year, blog ratings have been tabulated from the sum of more than seven months of community votes, which were reported publicly, in real-time, 24/7, including the chronology of each and every vote on each and every post."

The compettion was called “The 2006 People's Choice Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards” which they describe as “a Community-Based Effort to Recognize the Best Jewish, Israeli, and Israeli-Interest Blogs” I have won the “Silver” (2nd place) in the category:

Best Over All Blog

I’m flattered and honored. I did not campaign for votes. But I am never the less grateful for the honor. And they’ve given me this really cool award graphic to display.

Here is the list of additional winners. My thanks to JBlog Central and to all those who voted for me.

The Battle of the Bulge

This is a subject that I am very reluctant to write about. And I have held off writing about it because of the controversy I know it will generate. But it is so troubling to me that I feel I must.

There is a Gemarah in Taanis (13B) which speaks of what kind of activities are permitted or forbidden during the seven day mourning period over a deceased relative, the Shiva period. One of the things that the Gemarah tells us is: “Ein HaBogress Rasha’ah L’Navel Es Atzma.” When it comes to a young marriageable girl, she is not allowed to make herself unattractive.

It is in that spirit that I note the recent flurry of activity in Israel with respect to matters of Tznius in women’s clothing. There were a whole series of articles last weekend that dealt with these issues. (See here, here, here, and here.)

It is of course understandable that our rabbinic leaders are concerned with matters of Tznius in women’s clothing. And of course it should be addressed. Indeed some of the styles that the Frummest of women wear are problematic. Not so much in not covering up Erva, those parts of the body that are considered nakedness by Torah standards, but in that some styles of clothing are very tight, skin tight even! Modesty demands that such styles should not be worn.

So there was a conference in Israel that addressed this issue. But the predictable happened. Instead of coming up with a minimal set of guidelines. A hard set of rules has been mandated. Rules that go well beyond the minimum. These are Takanos that reflect Chumros not Halachos:

“seminary rabbis and administrators decided to have female students sign a new modesty regulations contract…. The contract would bind each student to wear extra thick stockings”.

“Shirts, skirts, sweaters and the like should be loose enough that the form of the body is not seen.”

“Skirts should began at the waist and end at the middle of the leg, and as mentioned, should be loose and not of clinging fabric. Wigs must not be too long or in models that have been prohibited.”

The color red will not be tolerated either.

This is not Halacha. The lower leg (below the knee) is not considered Erva. Bullet proof stockings and mid-calf length skirts are at best Chumros. But These Poskiim are now mandating it is a minimum.

Thick Stockings?! No long wigs?! Skirts mid-calf below the knee?! Loose fitting fabrics?! Why should Takanos like these be applied to everyone? Women should be allowed to look like women. Must they look totally a-sexual?

There has to be a happy medium between the Meah Shearim look and the Hollywood look. It is hard enough to be Frum, dress Frum and retain a decent self image and project a decent image to the world without looking promiscuous. One need not look abnoraml to do so. To limit the way women dress beyond the minimum and then to enforce it through a set of rigid rules that go beyond Halacha is grossly unfair and unnecessary. Yet that is what is happening in Israel.

Stores in Bnei Brak and Jerusalem are now going to have to get Hechsherim. If a store wants the Charedi “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval” it will have to abide by these rules.


This generation of Charedim seems to be more obsessed with Takanos than the previous one. I do not remember Rav Moshe Feinstein or any of his contemporaries making such Takanos for their generation. And it’s not like the sixties were the epitome of modest dress. Back in those days it was nearly impossible to buy a dress or skirt that was not a “mini” …well above the knee. And very few of the religious female high school students, Bais Yaakov included, wore a skirt length that was below the knee. To be in style and stay within Halacha, they would wear a skirt length that was a short as they could get away with just barely covering the knee. And when they sat down the skirts rose up above the knee.

Of course the Rabbanim and Mechanchim spoke out against it. But there were never any Takanos except in Chasidic circles. Not about skirt lenths. Not about Shaitels. Not about the color red, or thick stockings. Not about airlines, and not about books. And neither was there the Kanaus that accompanies such Takkanos: Burning down non compliant stores, or throwing bleach on non compliant clothing worn by women in religious neighborhoods.

This is the fruit of those Takanos. And in the process our women are being made to look less and less like women with every passing moment. In effect they are being made to look as unattractive as possible. And it is counter to the spirit of the Gemara in Taanis.

What’s next? A Takana to shave off a woman’s hair after marriage? Are we going to have Tznius squads running around in Bnei Brak with electric clippers?

Is the Universe Old? Were Chazal Wrong about Science? Could be.

A fascinating interview with Rabbi Nosson Slifkin can be found in Rafi’s blog. What ever one’s view are about Rabbi Slifkin or his views, this is a must read.

I would only add that I was recently informed in e-mail list I belong to about a private conversation the list owner had with the renowned Charedi Posek, Rav Dovid Cohen. In it he was told that Rav Dovid’s Halachic position is that belief in evolution per se is not an inherent contradiction to Torah, and of course, neither is belief in an ancient universe. Neither of these beliefs are in any way heretical and do not contradict any of the 13 Ikkarim.

Rav Dovid also unequivocally stated that it is permissible to believe that Chazal might have been wrong in matters of science. There are two acceptable approaches to this and one of them is to say that Chazal could have erred.

I have heard that Rav Cohen was not on the “ban” band wagon, and this interview confirms it.

Instantaneous Pornography or Daf Yomi

In an article in the Jewish Press, Rabbi Yaakov Perlow is quoted as saying that “the threat of the Internet is greater than all the previous perils combined.” He said it at a meeting of “120 rabbis, dayanim, heads of yeshivos and principals of girls schools in Boro Park and Flatbush, (that) met on Sunday, Asarah B’Teves”

I note that this meeting was not in any way connected to the Agudah. I wonder if that was intentional. Is Agudah now officially staying out of the internet controversy?

In any case, Rabbi Perlow’s statement is right on the money. I fully agree with him. The problem is huge. Almost anything that is found in life can be found on the internet. They don't call it virtual reality for nothing. The only difference is that in life, the reality of one’s desires cannot usually be found so quickly. In virtual reality, one click of a mouse, and your there.

“There” …can be anywhere from a Daf Yomi website to one where there are the most disgusting images that man can devise. How convenient. Now anyone with even the most bizarre and outlandish sexual obsession can feed his lust almost instantaneously. And one never needs to leave the privacy of their own homes. There are pornographic websites for every taste! I remember reading somewhere that the vast majority of websites accessed by the public are such sites.

So I agree that the danger is very great, not only for children but for all of us. I heard of another statistic showing that most children who use the internet will end up inadvertently viewing a porno site. They will innocently click on a website they didn’t know was pornographic. I estimate that more than half the e-mails I receive are pornographic. At least if judged by the subjectlines. I just delete them all. But I wonder how many people, even Frum ones, take a peek just out of curiosity?

There are tons of stories of decent people succumbing to porn on the web. Some by accident, some out of simple curiosity, and some out of desire. Chat rooms are available for some people who might otherwise control their desires and can easily be tempted to become “adventurous”. They will seek out and attempt to entice young people into all kinds of sexual acts, fulfilling their wildest sexual fantasies with the help of innocent victims.

There have been people caught on camera trying to solicit sex from minors via chat rooms by police sting operations. NBC has an entire series devoted to that. There have also been some very public cases involving Frum people. One such case was published in the Jewish Observer a few years ago. It was written by a Charedi Mechanech, a principal, who got caught downloading illegal pornographic photos of minors. No one is immune.

So, what the solution? Do we dig a deep hole in the sand and stick our heads as far as possible down into it? That seems to be the response by some rabbinic leaders. The answer to everything it seems is to just cut ourselves off more and more from the world… withdraw into our own Daled Amos, surround ourselves with ever more fences, and never dare wander outside.

If that would work, I could hear it, even though I would disagree with it. But it can’t work. No one is so isolated that he will never encounter the internet. Besides it is so entrenched that it will be virtually impossible to implement any Takana banning it. According to the Jewish Press article:

“(I)n Boro Park, Flatbush, and Williamsburg, more than 90 percent of the homes in each community had Internet access.” “Suprisingly” they say.

It will be encountered one way or another. Either one will be prepared to do so or one will not. If unprepared, the danger is increased many times over. Because an unprepared accidental encounter with pornography by someone on the web may end up with them becoming “hooked” …sucked in by images never before seen or imagined.

But one might argue that even if such encounters might happen, what is the alternative? We must at least try to eliminate the scourge from our midst. If someone slips through the cracks, it’s a terrible thing but at least the “evil entity” won’t be so pervasive, found in almost every home as it is now.

But as bad as the problem inherent in the internet is, it is not an “evil entity”. It is merely a medium…one that can be used for evil, to be sure. But one that can also be used for the good.

Since we are talking virtual reality at the click of a mouse, why cut oneself off from the positive side of the internet? The click of a mouse can not only get you porno, it can get you thousands of Torah based sites …Torah learning to cater to any taste or time frame. It is indeed an information superhighway. The benefits are so great, that anyone not availing himself of it is simply living in the dark ages. Whether it is something as simple and convenient as Mapquest or something as complex as accessing all the available information and research on a specific bone cancer like Ewing’s Sarcoma, the internet has it for you at the click of a mouse. Do I really need to preach to the choir here? Anyone reading this internet post certainly realizes its benefits.

No, the answer is not in closing oneself or one’s children off from the benefits of the internet. The answer is not to pretend it doesn’t exist and remove it from one’s consciousness. That is impossible anyway. The answer is in knowing how to use it properly. There are many ways one can do so and in the process protect their children and themselves from the dangers. What these methods are is beyond the scope of this post. The danger is as real as our rabbinic leaders say it is. But their solution is not realistic. Burying one’s head in the sand deeper and deeper will not solve the problems posed by the internet. At best it will only temporarily reduce the threat and in some cases only delay it. Banning it only makes it more enticing as a “forbidden fruit”. Encountering it suddenly and when least expected will be far worse if one is unprepared to do so. There are better solutions. And reasonable people can find a way to use the internet for good and minimize the chances for bad.

Selling the System

SephardiLady came up with an interesting comment on my last blogpost which states in part:

“(T)his system that looks like it might be headed toward a major train wreck... Throwing money at the problem is a temporary relief for these families, but if they continue in the same path they went in the first time, they will end up in the same place years later and once again will be desperately seeking a half mil from American counterparts.”

The system she is talking about is the current Yeshiva/Kollel system. And it does seem to be heading for a major train wreck… progressing at a rapidly increasing pace.

It is my contention that the system is not only a necessary one, but that it is the single most important factor in the survival of the Jewish people. Without it, Limud HaTorah would not flourish, and could Chas VeShalom cease to exist… right along with the Jewish people. For if there is no Torah, there is no Judaism. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems… problems that have to do with how this system is presented by its Roshei Yeshiva to their flock.

As a commenter on the last post said, the Bnei Torah are being sold a bill of goods. They are being told to stay in learning full time for as long as they can. And it's understandable why. As I said, it is existential. It is a matter of survival of the Jewish people to produce Gedolim and Talmidei Chachamim.

Back in the early years (post holocaust) when the Yeshiva system was being re-established from Europe to America and Israel, the Roshei Yeshiva had to fight for every Bachur they could get. And they had to fight twice as hard to get them to stay after high school and not go to college. Kollel was a rarified place for only a few elite who could be convinced to stay and learn for a few years after marriage. Israel was a relative wildreness of learning Torah in those years. The Rogatchover Goan once actually commented (pre holocaust) that "In Israel they don't know how to learn!" This was told to Rabbi Oscar Fasman when he traveled to Europe to consult with all the Gedolei HaDor about his Yeshiva (HTC). It’s hard to imagine by today's standards where Israel has become the Makom Torah that it is.

Today, it is exactly the opposite. Every Ben Torah in the Charedi world is told that they must stay in learning as long a possible. And every Ben Torah eats that up, no matter how mediocre his learning is. Where it used to be an automatic assumption that Paranasa was primary to supporting oneself and ones family, now not only is that assumption gone from the psyche, it has been banished as an ideal. It is now frowned upon as second class. No preparation for Paranasa is therefore offered or encouraged to be sought by Bnei Torah at any time in their learning career. The rarified atmosphere is no longer in the Beis HaMedrash but in the arena of Parnasa. Most Bnei Torah feel like the biggest losers if they leave the Koslei (walls of the) Beis HaMedrash for the work-world.

This has been the prevailing attitude instilled in the Bnei Torah for over two generations now... each one having produced an average of 5 or six children per family, each of whom has in turn produced another 5 or 6 children of their own... a geometric progression into the future ad infinitum. And they are sold the same bill of goods: Stay in learning or you’re a loser. That’s the message (although the “loser” part is probably subliminal.)

This, it seems to me is what causes many of the problems the Torah faces today.

First, there is the financial problem discussed in my last post of Avreichim relying on money of working parents in order to survive (or in a few cases causing an Avreich to go to Gemachim (interest free loan societies) and borrow to the max or maxing out his credit cards.)

Then there is the tremendous strain this attitude places on the Shidach system. Today’s parents grew up being sold the same bill of goods in theory but still opt for work in most cases. So they have these values, or at least the social pressure to act as though they do. Therefore to get a good Bachur i.e. one who will sit and learn for an open ended amount of time... they have to come up with the money to support their new sons in law in Kollel.

But for the Klei Kodesh of which there are thousands who are either still in Kollel or are in low paying Chinuch jobs… they often can’t even get to first base with their own daughters. How ironic it is that a Bas Talmid Chacham is the hard case when it comes to Shiduchim! But the rich and pampered daughters are the sought after ones. (No, not all rich kids are spoiled. Don’t go there.)

The problem of children going off the track is also related to this “bill of goods” being sold to Bnei Torah that they all must learn as long as possible. How many children just don’t have the “Kelim”(mental tools)? Not every child is a genius or brilliant. Some are actually of average intelligence. Some may be brilliant but do not have an aptitude for Limud HaTorah. They may instead have aptitudes for other areas such as physics, math, literature or the arts. And when these talents are forced out of their consciousness these young people resent it at least sub-consciously and some of them end up rebelling.

How many times have I read in the Jewish Observer, the magazine of the Charedi world, about children of Klei Kodesh who are perfectly good parents with mostly great children that never-the-less have a child who has dropped religious observance and in some cases turned to a life of drugs, sex, and God knows what else?! Could it be that at least in part, it is the fault of a system which has indoctrinated every single child that passes though it that Talmud Torah is not only K’Neged Kulam, but that it is the only path that matters?!

I think so.

Show Me the Money

What is the most important goal in finding a Shiddach for the better Bachurim in Yeshivos? Is it finding a Bas Talmid Chacahm? No. It is money. Money is the deal breaker. And it seems that everything else takes second place.

No matter how much time passes things do not seem to be changing. At least that is what is being reported.

Money seems to be the battle cry of the better Yeshivos in Israel when it comes to making Shiduchim for their better students. I have long ago lamented the degree to which money plays a role in the Shiddach process. And I have heard horror stories about it. One would think that the Roshei Yeshiva would play down the financial aspect of Shiduchim. But it is exactly the opposite. The more money that a Rosh Yeshiva can get for his better Bachurim, the more prestige his Yeshiva commands.

By Roshei Yeshiva demanding often exorbitant sums of money for their better Talmidim, they de-emphasize the element of Torah L’Shma. What after all is the point of extorting large sums of money for these “better Bachurim”? Is it to make their lives easier so that they can learn without worry? Perhaps that was the original intent. But now it has become an important part of the image of the Yeshiva.

This phenomenon didn’t just start yesterday. It has been going on for decades. And it doesn’t matter whether we are talking about Israel or the US. Except that it’s worse in Israel because the burden there includes buying a Dirah… an apartment for the young Kollel couple.

And it isn’t like the rabbinic leadership is all that supportive of it. I remember Rav Shach clearly saying that expenses of this nature should be shared by both sets of parents. And currently Rav Chaim Kanievsky is opposed to this type of extortion too. His grandson was quoted as saying the following”:

“My grandfather’s opinion is that all expenses, including the purchase of an apartment, must be divided equally between the groom’s side and the bride’s side. As for the apartment, my grandfather says that it’s better for the bride’s side to pay a bit more in order to show respect for the Torah, even a thousand dollars more.”

Yet the trend continues unabated it seems, and the reality is that in many cases the finances are breaking the backs of parents who can’t really afford it.

Today’s Bnei Torah are far too pampered. Must they live on such high standards? And it isn’t only about extorting money from parents. They come from comfortable backgrounds and are unwilling to lower those standards. Some of the Yungeleit borrow from every G’Mach, max out all of their credit cards, and go into debt just so they can live the “good life” they’ve gotten used to. Unfortunatley I know of a few like this in Israel.

Where do they get these values? Well, they did not get it from the Gedolei Torah of past generations. There was no extortion there. Yes, in many cases they were supported but only with the bare necessities. Those who really strove for greatness did not seek all the creature comforts that those of today do. Although these “better Bachurim” are usually very bright and have lots of Hasmada, they are missing a very important element in the pursuit of greatness in Torah… of Gadlus. They are missing the element of sacrifice. They want to learn in comfort and want to retain the standard of living they grew up with. And because of that, they will never rise to greatness. They may all become fine Talmidei Chachamim, but greatness will be left to those who do not ask for money. Greatness will not go to those who look for wealthy father-in-laws but look for the daughters of Talmidei Chachamim. When learning Torah is the focus and the desire, anything else hardly matters. A Bas Talmid Chacham will know what is important and be willing to sacrifice right along side her husband.

I believe that this is one of the reasons we have not produced any Chazan Ishes, Steiplers, or Rav Moshes in our generation. I doubt that they sought comfortable lifestyles as a prerequisite to learning Torah L’Shma.

There is a story about the Steipler that illustrates the kind of sacrifice it takes to become a Gadol. I heard it said about him that he refused to learn in any Beis Hamedrash that was air-conditioned. His reason was that he did not want to get used to it because then he might not be able to ever learn in an unairconditioned Bais HaMedrash again.

It is this kind of attitude that is needed. Hasmada and intelligence has to be coupled with impeccable Midos and a willingness to sacrifice. Extrorting money from a potential father in law or maxing out one’s credit cards will never make one a Gadol. It will only make him a slelf centered Baal Taavah or a fool.

And yet this seems to be the current state of affairs in the Yeshiva world. The dollar is of paramount importance and this value is being transmitted to the Bnei Torah via Shadchanus demands.

Mistakes in the Rambam

Is it possible that the Rambam made mistakes? I think so. And I’ve wondered sometimes about all the “Torah” written trying to resolve apparent contradictions in the Rambam. Are all those resolutions no matter how wonderful they are… really the Emes? Perhaps. But maybe the Rambam simply just made mistakes.

The Rambam wrote his magnum opus, The Yad HaChazaka alone. He did not do it together with other scholars. Learning Torah without a Chavrusa is an inferior way of learning. Without having another Talmid Chacham learning with you to “Sharpen your mind” …errors can inevitably result.

The Gemarah in Taanis (7A) tells us: R. Chama said in the name of R. Chanina, What is the meaning of the phrase “Barzel B’Barzel Yachad” …Irons sharpens iron… (Mishlei 27:17) ? “Lomer Lecha: Ma Barzel Echad Mechaded Es Chavero, Af Shnei Talmidei Chachamim Mechad’din Zeh Es Zeh B’Halacha. …Just as iron sharpens iron, so too, two Talmudic scholars sharpen each other with respect to Halacha… In other words by debating with one another the truth will more likely be found.

Nowhere is this illustrated better than in the Gemarah in Bava Metzia (84A). There the Gemarah tells us of both Reish Lakish’s rise to glory and his ultimate death at the “hand” of Rav Yochanan. He was responsible for Rish Lakish dying. The story is as follows.

They were learning Torah together. After a retort by Reis Lakish to a comment made to him by Rav Yochanan, Chalesh Daateh D’Rav Yochanan. R. Yochanan was visibly shaken. That “look” so affected Reish Lakish, he became seriously ill and subsequently died. Rav Yochanan was never the same after that. Reish Lakish was his constant Chavrusa and whenever they learned together Reish Lakish would pose 24 questions and the subject would become clearer. In other words Rav Yochanan’s mind was sharpened by his Chavrusa. After Reish Lakis died, Rav Yochanan could not be comforted. He would go around tearing Kriya and crying “Heichan At Bar Lakisha, Heichan At Bar Lakisha”. So despondent was Rav Yochanan that he ultimately lost his mind and died.

And this brings me back to the Rambam. He did not have a Reish Lakish when he composed the Yad. He did it alone. Had he written it with other Talmidei Chachim, The Rambam wouldn’t have anywhere near the criticism he had. Many of the questions are so strong that they require far-fetched speculation and elaborate Pilpul.

Ultimately the Rambam himself admits to the error of his ways. In a translation of the Makor Baruch by Rav Baruch HaLevi Epstein, he mentions (through the Netziv) that the Rambam said to the Chachmei Luniel that he rejected many of his own Teshuvos and was mistaken about them. The Rambam himself was not as committed to his Teshuvos the way many of the late Achronim who are… who use forced logic to defend the Rambam’s words.

The Netziv is quoted as saying that the Rambam declared in his introduction to the Yad and in many letters that he “worked for ten full years closeted in the solitary isolation of his room, not discussing his writings with his colleagues – designing and building his work on his own. If, during the course of his work, he would have consulted other Talmudic scholars there is no doubt that they would have pointed out many of the questions that have been raised in the hundreds of years following the work’s publication. He obviously would have made many corrections before allowing the book to see the light of day.”

I think that's at least as likely the truth as is all the Piplul written about the Rambam's words.

The End of Chasidus as We Know It?

Is this the end of Chasidus as we know it? If one reads this article in Ha’aretz, one might think so.

I have many times made the assertion that I believe Chasidus was a necessary development in the history of the Jewish people. I believe it to be part of the Divine plan of God. For if not for Chasidus maintaining the masses and keeping them in the fold, the period of enlightenment that had opened up opportunities that had been formerly denied would have taken a very serious toll. Haskala which advocated a break from Torah observance was a direct result of that.

Chasidus prevented the masses from turning away from Torah observance for the most part. While it is also true that the elitist Yeshiva system of the Lithuanian mold did its part Torah observance too, their existence alone would not have been enough. Educating a few elitist rabbinic scholars could not have alone prevented the massive hemorrhaging of Jews away from Torah observance that was beginning to take place during the height if the period of Haskala. Indeed the pull of Haskala was pretty strong amongst them too. In fact, many Maskilim came from the ranks of the elite in thoseYeshivos.

I know there are some who would dispute these facts and maintain that Chasidus was not responsible for maintaining the masses. But I disagree. It seems obvious that the vast majority of Jews who were not enticed away from observance by the pull of Haskala is due largely to the advent of Chasidus. It was they who had the ability to hold on to the masses because they appealed to the emotional side of Judaism rather than the intellectual side. They inspired people to follow the Torah by de-emphasizing learning and emphasizing Teffila (prayer), Emunah Peshuta (simple faith), and Deveikus(clinging) to God via a charismatic leader.

I have also maintained that Chasidus has served its purpose. Post holocaust in America and Israel its usefulness as the guarantor of continuity has greatly diminished. It has been replaced both in the US and Israel by the exceedingly successful Yeshiva system modeled on Volozhin. No longer does a Jew require a Chasidic theology stay in the fold. Yeshivos are doing a far better job at that now and are educating the masses much more than the Chasidus of old did. In fact, there are many Chasidic Yeshivos now that have emulated the very successful Lithuanian model.

But Chasidus has not died. Nor has it waned. It is stronger than ever. The numbers of Chasidm have increased exponentially since the holocaust. That is a tribute to the charismatic leadership of three primary Chasidic leaders: the Rebbes of Satmar, Lubavitch, and Bobov. If I am not mistaken, members of these three dynasties comprise the vast majority of Chasidim in the world. There are other prominent Chasidic sects such as Sanz,,Boyan and Breslov . But I do not think that their numbers combined… come anywhere near the numbers of the other three combined. But despite their success in building the great numbers of Chasidim they are in grave danger of destroying themselves.

The problems in Lubavitch are well known and have been discussed many times. The biggest problem they have of course is the Meshichism that is so rampant. It is a movement strongly divided. And even though one can debate the extent of Meshichism, how widely it is accepted or tolerated (some are overt and some are discreet) there can be no doubt about the civil war between the two factions in Lubavitch. The problem is that the overt Meshichists seem to be winning.

If what one sees in Israel is any indication, Meshichism there is definitely the dominant belief. The same thing is true at their international headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. The Meshichists are in control. And in Chicago, the Moshiach flags on cars, Yechi Yarmulkees, and posters on buildings, are on the increase.

Of course Lubavitch leadership will deny it and say that it isn’t so. They will say that Meshichists are just a very loud vocal minority with a lot of money. But, I think it is far worse than that. And if it is indeed true that the Meshichists are winning, and the second coming of their Messiah, the Rebbe, becomes the dominant theology of Lubavitch, they will cease to exist as a legitimate movement in Judaism …even with all their successes in Kiruv and growing numbers. The theology is so anathematic to mainstream Torah Judaism that their great numbers won’t matter any more than the great numbers of Christians. They will be outside the pale.

Satmar, perhaps the largest Chasidic sect in the world is now divided unlike any time in history. The last Rebbe was unclear about his successor and gave mixed signals about which of his two sons should take his place as the next undisputed Rebbe. This has resulted in one of the nastiest battles in modern times. From the article: “the conflicts between the two camps continue, and the fights between them are described as venomous.” There have been physical brawls and blood drawn between members of both camps.

And now the same thing is happening in Bobov. There is a virtual war between the previous Rebbe’s brother, Rabbi Ben Zion Halberstam, and the previous Rebbe’s son-in-law, Rabbi Mordechai David Ungar, both claiming the mantle of leadership. That too is a bitter dispute with partisans on both sides:

“Older Hasidim who follow Rabbi Ben Zion claim that his father Rabbi Shlomo used to say that he preferred his son to his son-in-law as his successor and heir to the leadership. That is why in their opinion Ungar is "brazen and quarrelsome.”

If one adds to this the image of the Chasidm of Neturei Karta embracing the “holocaust denying” President of Iran at a holocaust denial conference, well... Chasidus is not painting a pretty picture to the world. It doesn’t matter that Neturei Karta who claims the very anti Medinat Israel Chasidic sect Satmar to be their spiritual heir, is none-the-less strongly condmened by them... and everyone else in the Torah world. The fact is that Neturei Karta were raised as Chasidim, they look like Chasidim, they act like Chasisdim, and they claim to be Chasisdim. All verbal condemnations of (or dissociations from) this group pale in comparison to those images seen round the world. One picture like that outweighs a thousand words of condemnation. People see Chasisdim. And that hurts Chasidus.

So what does the future really hold for Chasidus as a movement? I don’t know. There are a lot of people who are Chasidim… enough to maintain the divisions and create many Chasidic courts out of one. But the movement is being seriously hurt. Violent enmity, outrageous behavior, and slander of one side against members of the other abound. And it is led or inspired by its very leaders. I therefore do not believe that any serious person can ever take Chasidus seriously again.

Bleacher Bums

How wonderful it would be if just the slightest bit of tolerance could be achieved in the world of Torah. I am sorry to say that there is precious little of it. And no where is this more evident than in the city of Bnei Brak.

I love Bnei Brak. For 18 years, when my parents lived there, I considered it my second home... my home in Israel. I used to visit them quite frequently when they lived there and I came to know many of my parents’ friends, mostly Boyaner Chasidim whose acts of Chesed towards my parents were nothing short of superlative. And whenever I came into my father’s Boyaner Shteible, I was welcomed with open arms as “one of them”. Truly a warm and loving people who put my father on a pedestal... treating him like a near icon, ...all because he was a Zaken and connected to the Rizhiner Chasidus of pre-war Europe (Boyan is part of the Rizhiner Chasidus). I can tell you stories that would amaze you of people there who were totally selfless.

I loved that city and whenever I am in Israel, I make a point to visit that town and take a walk down R. Akiva Street ...which is why the current ridiculous edict with respect to Tznius and the actions of the zealots is so upsetting.

I can’t say I’m surprised. The city fathers there apparently do not have any clue as to anyone else’s existence except themselves. They view the world through their own myopic lenses. Their level of Tznius is all that matters. It makes no difference to them what the letter of the law is. They are going to determine for everyone what is acceptable clothing. As such they have started their own Hechsher Organization. Not for food, but for clothing. They now will certify which stores are acceptable for shopping for members of their community.

I’m sorry. This is pure politics. And it has nothing to do with religion. A denim dress that is fully Tznius in every respect cannot halachically be assured. But that is precisely what they are doing. They will not certify a store that sells denim clothing. And as if that isn’t enough they also have a Tznius Patrol modeled on the one in Meah Shearim. If they see someone in the street with a piece of clothing they don’t like, they pour bleach on it! True it is an underground group that is doing it. But who and what inspired them to do it? One must also assume that it is a religiously motivated act by Charedi radicals! And they now feel justified by the new edicts of Tznius.

Of course there are going to be those who will say, “These people aren’t representative of Charedim, don’t lump us all together!” My response is that I don’t. These people are indeed radicals. But why do they exist in the way that they do? Why ...this form of radical destructive behavior which is Asuur min HaTorah?! Not only do they think what they are doing is Mutar, they think it a righteous act! They are protecting the honor and dignity of the “Daughters of Israel”!

And so it goes... yet another nail in the coffin of Achdus. And another blow to normalcy. To these people it is far more important to uphold the politcs of their Charedi standards than it is to uphold the dignity of those with whom they disagree Hashkafically. ...so much so that they have to Assur perfectly Tznius clothing because of the politics of those who usually wear them. Denim, you see, is usually worn by worn by women in Religious Zionist circles.

This kind of false zealotry breeds the kind of radical extremism that cause people to throw bleach on the clothing of innocent women. (Not to mention the fact that bleach is a dangerous form of hydrochloric acid and could be very harmful if accidentally splashed in the eyes. And can cause serious skin rashes). This is not a step towards Kedusha but a step away form it.

Of course the standards of Tznius that are now required are not just about denim. It is also every possible Chumra one can imagine, including colors that are too bright and the like.

This is the politics of the right in Israel. They not only want to impose unreasonable parameters for education of men. and women, they want to control what they wear. And that gives the Kaanaim the license to in act in violent and destructive ways.

Eizahu Chacham? HaRoeh Es HaNolad. Can anyone really claim that this is our Gedolim at their finest?

Strangers Among Us

There was an interesting article in the Jewish Press last week. It was an interview with people who are both Jewish and black. And I once again stand in awe of those who come to Torah Judaism on their own by finding truth in it.

What makes this article unique is that the people interviewed were black. And there was one very telling statement by Dr. Pinchas McCoy, a Black Jew. When asked how as a black man, is received by various segments of the Jewish community his answer was unfortunately not surprising to me and it is very condemning of Orthodoxy. From the article:

Question: “Are Jews of color treated differently by Reform and Conservative Jews than they are by Orthodox Jews?”

Answer: “Unfortunately, there are vestiges of racism that are alive and well in all [denominations] of Judaism. In my experience in the Orthodox community, I have found the culture of being Orthodox and Jewish to be deeply tied to a need for conformity. Having a different skin color and heritage than the majority in an Orthodox community essentially defies conformity and can be an issue on various levels, depending on the level of tolerance maintained by the individuals with whom they interact.”

The prejudice against non-Jews by some of the more RW Jews in Orthodoxy is, unfortunately well established. But the prejudice against black people encompasses all of Orthodoxy, not just the Right Wing. Of course there are a large number of exceptions, people in the Frum community that are truly color-blind. But it is an unfortunate fact that in my experience, prejudice exists against a black person even if he is a Frum Jew.

We have some Frum Black people in Chicago that I know of. And to be honest, I don’t see anything but complete acceptance by the community here and that includes everyone from Right to left. But at some level it is there. And when no one is looking… all the prejudices seem to come out. All the stereotypes are about blacks believed. And the most frequent and biased statements come out of the mouths of people from the greater New York area. The most insulting comment I often hear is “Of course you’re not prejudiced… you don’t live with them!” When I quote Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous statement about not judging people by the “color of their skin but the content of their character”, I will often get derisive responses about Dr. King!

These are religious people. MO and Charedi! It doesn’t matter. The prejudice is there. To them all blacks are inferior and stupid! Of course in public they are generally polite to them but in private all the derision comes out, especially if the are Easterners (although there too, there are exceptions). Very sad.

Perhaps the reason has something to do with what Dr. McCoy was saying, that our issues with respect to conformity within our community makes it harder to accept someone from without of our conformist environment, I think the prejudice is a specifically learned one from parents and/or peers. And it is reinforced by the stereotyping that general society has of blacks.

Some of it is based on he fact that there are high crime rates in poor black inner city neighborhoods. Others point to a culture in those inner city environments that eschews education and values. But those cultures do not define the essence of a human being. They only define how a human being who grows up in that culture will behave. Black people are no more prone to choose those values than are white people. One should not judge an entire race by the products of a sick culture. And certainly not a Frum Jew… one who has chosen to be Jewish and accepting of the Ol Malchus Shamyim.

Several years ago a young Frum Chicago man, who was educated in Yeshivos and I would describe as Modern Orthodox in upbringing but more toward the Charedi side in Hashkafos met and married a Black Baalas Teshuva who lived in the Chicago Jewish community. The Mesader Kedushin was a very popular Charedi Rav. They were well integrated into the community here. But his parents could not accept it. They did not attend the wedding and basically disowned their son. They did not even acknowledge his existence. How sad for the son and the parents. The young couple moved away to another city when a job offer came along. They now have a beautiful family with 5 beautiful children.

Unfortunately his mother contracted cancer. Upon realizing her own mortality and facing an uncertain future, she came to realize the error of her ways and re-connected with her son and his family. They now have a loving relationship. Although I know them pretty well I am not so close to this family. I hope all is well and that she is in remission and complete health. But it took a deadly disease for her to come to realize her own prejudices. I would hope that those of us who harbor these kinds of prejudices rethink them. This is no way to treat a fellow human being even behind his back. And certainly not a fellow Jew. We should remember that for those of us that are Frum from birth, Judaism chose us. But to the Gerim, it is they who chose Judaism. And for that I honor them more than I honor myself.

Shmuel and Yiftach

When I wrote a post many months ago about my belief that the current rabbinic leadership does not measure up anywhere near the previous generation of Gedolim, I was duly criticized. Just to be clear, I meant that even though we are in the period of Achronim and both R. Akiva Eiger and R. Moshe are Achronim and the current rabbinic leaders are Achronim too, I strongly feel that the era of the holocaust, which destroyed not only an entire culture that dates back many centuries, it destroyed a caliber of Gadol that we have not produced since. There are still such Gedolim around today and they include people like Rav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv and Rav Ovadia Yosef, they are quite elderly. And there is no one like them today. The” Rav Moshes” of this world have left us for the next. Rav Eliezer Waldenberg being the most recent. I have therefore concluded that we are now in a truly different era. The holocaust was a dividing line.

By that, I do not mean that we do not have rabbinic leaders. Of course we do. Nor am I saying that our generation of leaders can't argue Halacha with the last. They can. But they are of a different world... a different level.

I’m not exactly sure why that is, but I suspect that the European model of Gadol had a lot to do with the European mindset. There was an elitist factor then that attracted only the best and the brightest and the focus for them was on self-sacrifice and learning. There were no distractions. The “Shtetel” life that existed pre-holocaust and that pretty much remained the same for centuries was apparently more conducive to producing high caliber Gedolim and Poskim. The enmity of the gentile world and its constant pogroms and theforced ghettoization left very few possible distractions to those brilliant minds. These are just some thought that spring to mind as I try and think of why there are no more “Rav Moshes” anymore.

Whenever I bring up this subject I am accused of bashing Gedolim. I know my protestation to the contrary will be ignored and I will be bashed again. But I still want to assert and be clear that I am not bashing anyone. I am just making an observation and comparing what we have today against what we had yesterday.

One of the things most often cited to show that we should treat our rabbinic leaders the same as the Gedolim of yesteryear is the quote from the Gemarah in Rosh Hashana, “Yiftach B’Doro K’Shmuel B’Doro”. This means that Yiftach, the Shoeft (judge/leader predating the era of kings) was considered a very minor Shofet. But he was never the less a leader of Israel. And in his generation he was no less a “Gadol” than Shmuel was in his. This Talmudic phrase is always thrown at me to show that, no matter how small one geneartion’s leaders are compared to the last, they remain our leaders no less so then their predecessors. To a certain extent that’s true. But it is not an exact formula of equality. This can be seen from the Gemarah in Taanis (4A)… today’s Daf Yomi.

So who was Yiftach? In discussing the aspect of not asking God properly when requesting something, the Gemarah tells us that Yiftach had made such an improper request of God. He vowed that if he was victorious in his battle against Ammon, then upon his return he would sacrifice to God the first thing that comes out of his door. That is an improper request as anything could come out of his door, even something not qualifiying as a legitimate sacrifice. And indeed, what happened was that his own daughter was the first one out of his house. There is a dispute about what happened next. Some commentators say that he actually sacrificed her and others say that he just “consecrated” her… forcing her to remain celibate for the rest of her life.

Yiftach, B’Doro not only possibly committed the cardinal sin of murder, he did not know that a vow against any Torah law is not a valid vow. And even with that gross misunderstanding of Halacha , he should have at least been Shoel Neder to Pinchas… he should have gone to the Navl and asked for a nullification of such a vow.

So this is Yiftach. He thought it was OK to murder his daughter (or keep her celibate life) because of the conditions he imposed on himself in the form a vow... a vow that he did not know was legitimate and then arrogantly refused to ask the Navi for absolution for. He was after all the Shofet. “Let the Navi come to me!”

Well I would ask that if Yiftach in his generation is like Shmuel in his, then I suggest that the comparison to our era’s Gedolim is not flattering at all. I certainly do not attribute to our rabbinic leaders the kind of ignorance of Halacha and arrogance of spirit that Yiftach had.

It is clear from the Gemarah that some generations of rabbinic leaders are quite a bit less glorious than Gedolim of others. The message is that even though we need leaders in every generation and every generation will provide us for them, there are differences and those differences have consequences. If one generation of leaders is of such low stature that they are “Yiftachs” we need to be careful about what they say, lest they make a Yiftach-like statement.

Our generation’s rabbinic leaders are not Yiftachs. But they aren’t Shmuels either.

What Are They Waiting For?

Yesterday the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) published six separate articles on sex abuse in the Jewish community. For those who don’t know, JTA is the Associated Press(AP) of Jewish journalism. Some of these articles focused on problems within the Orthodox community, some past and resolved some present and unresolved. There was nothing really new there as I scanned all of them. But they did provide a pretty good description of the state of affairs as they are now, and as they should be. One thing that stood out was that Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform leaders and organizations are not that different in their approaches. All these organizations want the guilty punished and the innocent protected.

Within Orthodoxy there were disagreements between various representatives of differing Hashkafic organizations about and how to handle things.

To me there was one article stood out the most. And the following statement excerpted from it is one of the reasons why:

“(Rav Matisyahu) Salomon , a dean of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, N.J., one of the world´s largest yeshivas, said, according to an Agudath Israel spokesman, that haredim are indeed guilty of "sweeping things under the carpet."

I remember when he made that comment. It didn’t occur to me at the time how repugnant that sounded since he immediately explained what he meant. As Rabbi Shafran said in the article:

“(Rav) Salomon meant that rather than ignoring or covering up sexual misconduct, as detractors maintain, haredi officials deal with it discreetly to protect the dignity of the families of perpetrators and victims.”

All well and good. I agree with the policy of using discretion to protect the innocent. Although I do think that sometimes such “discretion” goes too far in protecting the potentially guilty at the expense of the victim. But after reading this article it became clear to me just how bad his phrasing sounded. I totally disagree with the way he characterized it. The very statement “sweeping things under the carpet” implies cover-up. He should not have used that term. Why he did so is puzzlement to me. How can a Rabbinic leader of the stature of Rav Salomon say that “sweeping allegations of sexual abuse under the rug” is the right and proper thing to do? Even after it was explained, does he not realize that such comments are easily misconstrued and open to attack?

And indeed he was attacked. Many of the attacks were by commenters right on this blog. Those commenters were unfair and wrong, in my view but understandable. As the article further states:

“The response to Salomon’s remarks was swift and often heated, with several Web site and blog contributors arguing that the rabbi´s comments should be taken literally — that is, haredi officials often look the other way when clergy sex abuse takes place in their midst.”

“(Rabbi Avi) Shafran, who accused the online detractors of making glib and sweeping generalizations without corroborating evidence, termed the comments "abhorrent." Rabbi Shafran also denied the charge that in cases of sexual abuse Batei Din will try to convince litigants to not pursue their complaints. “In cases where there is some degree of doubt, the beit din has a responsibility to counsel against going to authorities until there is proven criminal activity.”

I wonder about that. Is it in the best interest of the Torah community to avoid the authorities until there is proof? How do we attain that proof without the help of the authorities? Does Agudah have the investigative resources to get proof? If they are unable to ascertain the validity of the charges, what would they do? Ignore the accusations? Allow the accused perpetrator to continue as before? I think this policy is a mistake and is responsible for the perpetuation of a situation that has claimed a great many victims, and destroyed the reputation of Yeshivas Torah Temimah. If there are credible accusations, the authorities ought to be immediately informed. Let them investigate.

I wonder, too, if Rabbi Shafran’s stated reason for not going to the authorities is the only one. I suspect there is also another, less noble one: To protect the reputation of the Torah community by avoiding the attendant negative publicity of a scandal.

Should the Beis Din be the first line of defense in such cases? Normally I would think it should be. But Rabbi Mark Dratch, founder and director of JSafe, an organization addressing abuse in the Jewish community makes the following observation: “(I)f the beit din is used to make the community safer, that´s appropriate. If that relationship is used to bypass the justice system, I think that´s wrong”. He feels, and correctly so in my view that the Batei Din don’t “always work appropriately”. He has in fact "pleaded with members of Agudah to expose the dangers of clerical and familial abuse. (He) said if you don´t expose, victims have no place to turn."

Rabbi Shafran conceded, that there are not now in place any official guidelines in Agudah and expressed the belief that there would be such guidelines in the future.

As the self proclaimed and widely acknowledged repository of Daas Torah in America, I have to wonder why there are no guidelines by Agudah in place yet. What are they waiting for?

Free at Last: The Year in Israel

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach has written an op-ed in the Jerusalem Post that describes a very disturbing event. And once again it illustrates the dangers of the year of study in Israel that is near universal for Yeshiva and Beis Yaakov high school graduates . A father of a young woman attending a seminary in Israel wrote about an incident she observed. From the article:

“This man's daughter, "Devorah," called him in hysterics to say that she had taken a girl from her class to the family apartment on a Thursday night when, for some reason, many seminaries allow the girls to sleep out.” “His daughter's friend, "Batya," said that she was going to meet a friend on Ben Yehuda and would be back soon. She returned at 3 a.m. with a catatonically drunk seminary girl dragged by two male yeshiva students with whom she had been drinking.”

The father then tells of his shock of his daughter’s experience and his outrage at how it was handled by a very prominent head of one of the largest and most prominent women's seminaries in Israel. Instead of being sympathetic “… he was appalled when the head of the seminary turned hostile. "From my perspective," the rabbi said, "not only did Batya do nothing wrong, because she was not the one who got drunk, your daughter is the villain for bringing her to your apartment."

I have no idea who this seminary head is. Nor do I know what the Hashkafa of this seminary is. But it is clear that there is something very wrong with the system if this is typical of the kind of reponse given to a worried father. Should we worry about our daughters going to study in Israel for a year or more? “Darn tootin” we should. And we should be worried as well about our sons.

The issue of Seminaries in Israel was addressed on this blog twice, once by me and once by a guest poster. And there are certainly great benefits to the year in Israel. There are of course drawbacks too, not the least of which is the financial burden upon the parents. But this article informs us that there is something new to worry about: An apparent tendency towards arrogance on the part of successful seminary heads who think they can help troubled young women by accepting them into their schools. If they are not professionally trained to do so, not only is this untrue but it is dangerous as well. It is dangerous to the troubled young women and potentially to those she comes in contact with.

As Rabbi Boteach says:

"…it is arrogant for these yeshivas to believe that they can help teenagers with serious drug and alcohol problems when they are not equipped to do so. We must all know our limitations. Send the kids to places where they can get real help."


This is a real problem and I think such arrogance stems from a sincere desire to help plus a false sense of the ability to do so. Why do they feel they can Help without professional training? I don’t know. Perhaps great success in one area makes them think they can do no wrong in another. Since they have track record of success training normal and mentally healthy young women in spiritual matters, they feel they can also be successful with young women with serious emotional problems. It is a sort of megalomania... an obsession with doing extravagant or grand things because of the successes they have had. But of course without professional training the results can be catastrophic.

As I have said in the past, the year in Israel can be… and most of the time is… a very maturing and very spiritually uplifting experience. And if one can afford it, it is well worth the money. But for the “Batyas” it can end up being the ruination of their lives. And she can easily drag some “borderline” emotionally disturbed personalties with them. The Batya’s of the world should not be going 7000 miles away from home to live on their own with little or no supervision. And seminary heads ought not to be accepting them. And if one such students slips by detection in the interview process, when discovered, should not be defended but immediately sent home where the parents can seek professional help. And for their part (perhaps more significantly), parents of troubled young people should not be sending them. They who know their children best and know if there is potential for serious problems… Or at least they should.

Most young women attending seminaries are mature enough to act responsibly when they are away in Israel for a year. But there is unfrotuantely a large number who aren't and it is both a spiritual and physcial danger for them to be sent off to Israel and live "on their own" for a year.

Strictly enforced rigorous curfews and the like are not necessarily an answer. Although in some cases curfews are a good idea, and there should definitely be those kinds of semnaries, it should not be a universal rule in all seminaries. If anyome thinks a school with a curfew will solve an emotional problem they couldn’t be more wrong. Resourceful girls will figure out a way to circumvent the rules… or just break them, hoping they won’t get caught. They will take chances and not think about the consequences of their actions Besides, it is unfair to all the responsible young women attending seminaries in Israel to impose a curfew on them… because of the few perceived to need it. All 3 of my daughters went to seminaries in Israel (Sharfman's and Michlala.. late 80s early 90s). They had no curfews. And I was not worried at all for even a minute.

Bottom line is: know your children. Do not fool yourself about their level of maturity. There are many different kinds of seminaries and Yeshivos out there with many different rules and Hashkafos. Some have strict curfews and some don’t. And the year in Israel is not for everyone. Only if you truly know your children (the way any good parent should) can you then make a responsible decision about where to send them.. or whether to even send them at all.