But even by the depraved standards of the Palestinian Authority regime over which Mr Abbas presides, his toadying visit to Vladimir Putin this week was egregious. Days after the Russian president launched multiple missile attacks on civilian targets across Ukraine in a vain attempt to rally his domestic audience in the wake of serious military setbacks, and while he continued to threaten the world with the first use of nuclear weapons since 1945, there was Abbas, embracing the corrupt dictator.
Monday, October 17, 2022
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Questions II Answering heretics
Rav Chaim Brisker[i](MeAtiki
Shemuah): In truth the entire basis of our permission to ask questions
and analyze the Torah is because the Torah was given in this manner that questioning
and analysis are critical to comprehending the depths of the Torah. Therefore,
the question is itself made part of the Torah. Consequently, if a question is
valid then both the question and the answer are inherently part of the Torah
itself.
[i] מעתיקי שמועה
בריסק (חלק ב' פרשת העקידה עמוד קלב):, כי באמת כל מה שיש לנו רשות להקשות ולפלפל
בתורה, הוא משום דהתורה ניתנה באופן הזה שיפלפל האדם בתורה ויקשה קושיות עד אשר
מבין עומק הדברים, והקושיא נעשית גם כן חלק מהתורה, ואם זהו קושיא שניתנה לשאול אז
בין הקושיא ובין התירוץ נעשה תורה והיו חלק מעצם התורה...
Rav Chaim Voloshner[i](Ruach
Chaim 1:4): … It is prohibited for a student to accept the words of his
teacher if he has questions about them. Furthermore sometimes the truth is with
the student and not the teacher.” Avos[ii](1:4)
says, One should sit in the dust at the feet of one’s teachers and drink
with unquenchable thirst what they say. “The word for sitting - avek
- can also mean struggle or warfare. That is because this is an obligatory
struggle. The holy rabbis who have composed the books we study have in fact
given us permission to struggle and to fight over their words and to answer the
difficulties they raise. Therefore, we have the right to question what they say
and not to blindly accept their words - but one must love the truth…. Since
ascertaining the truth is the prime concern - we must be very careful not to be
conceited and egotistical in the discussions and to imagine that we are as
great as the teacher or author with whom we are disagreeing. We should be aware
in our hearts that we might simply be misunderstanding their words. Therefore
we must always be very humble. We must have the attitude, ‘I am not worthy to
argue but this is Torah and I must know the correct answer’. Furthermore, the
Mishna states that the struggle is conditional on being ‘in the dust at
their feet’ which means we must be humble and submissive and figuratively
sit on the ground before them in these discussions.
[i] רוח חיים (משנה א:ד)
ואסור לו לתלמיד לקבל דברי רבו כשיש לו קושיות עליהם. ולפעמים האמת עם התלמיד וכמו
שעץ קטן מלדיק את הגדול. וז"ש יהי ביתך בית ועד להחכמים והוי מתאבק, מלשון
ויאבק איש עמו שהוא ענין התאבקות מלחמה. כי מלחמת מצוה היא, וכן אנו נגד רבותינו
הקדושים אשר בארץ ונשמתם בשמי מרום המחברים המפורסמים, וספריהם אתנו. וניתן לנו
רשות להתאבק וללחום בדבריהם ולתרץ קושיתם, ולא לישא פני איש רק לאהוב האמת.
...יזהר בנפשו מלדבר
בגאוה וגודל לבב באשר מצא מקום לחלוק וידמה כל גדול הוא כרבו או כמחבר הספר אשר
הוא משיג עליו, וידע בלבבו כי כמה פעמים לא יבין דבריו וכוונתו, ולכן יהיה בענווה
יתירה. באמרו אם איני כדאי, אך תורה היא וכו'. וז"ש הוי מתאבק כנ"ל, אם
בתנאי 'באפר רגליהם', ר"ל בענוה והכנעה לדון לפניהם בקרקע.
[ii] משנה (אבות א:ד) יוסי
בן יועזר איש צרדה ויוסי בן יוחנן איש ירושלים קבלו מהם יוסי בן יועזר אומר יהי
ביתך בית ועד לחכמים והוי מתאבק בעפר רגליהם והוי שותה בצמא את דבריהם:
Malbim[i](Mishlei
26:5): A fool should be answered because he might think he is
wise You should answer a fool in a manner that he will realize that he
is not wise. If you don’t answer him, he will think that it is because he is in
fact a brilliant person. Therefore, you should answer him in a mild manner
because the main thing is to convince him of his foolishness. If you should
respond harshly that would indicate you merely want to convince him that you
are brilliant…
[i] מלבי"ם (משלי כו:ה):
ענה כסיל כאולתו פן יהיה חכם בעיניו - תענהו על אופן שלא ידמה לו שהוא חכם
אחר שלא מצאת מענה, ועל אופן זה תענהו בדברים קלים, כי עיקר הכונה להראות שהוא
כסיל, ולא תענהו בדברים חריפים להראות חכמתך, ועתה מפרש מה שיענהו.
Maharal[i] (Avos
2:14): One should not be wicked against oneself. Similarly
R’ Eliezer says that one should study diligently in order to answer the
heretic…This is referring to the transient thoughts of heresy that pop into a
person’s mind… Thus if one learns diligently to be able to answer the heretic
then he will not have even transient thoughts of heresy…
[i] מהר"ל (דרך חיים ב:יד)
ד"ה ובא ר"ש והוסיף ...ולכך אמר אל תהיה רשע בפני עצמך כלומר
שאתה רשע כנגד עצמך. וכן מה שאמר ר' אלעזר הוי שקוד ללמוד תורה ...ואמר ודע מה
שתשיב לאפיקורס דבר זה הוא הרהורי מינות שעולים במחשבת נפשו של האדם ... וכנגד זה
אמר ודע מה שתשיב לאפיקורס שאם ילמד מה שישיב לאפיקורס כל שכן שלא יעלה על לבו
ומחשבתו שום הרהור רע. ומפני כי הנפש מהרהר המינות אמר שיהיה שקוד לבטל זה מעיקרא
והרי זה תקון נפשו ביותר מן כל הראשונים...
Rabbeinu Bachye[i](Devarim
13:7): … Because if a person has faith entirely because of
tradition, if he hears attacks on the tradition from mistaken and heretical
people he has no certainly that he won’t be influenced. Since his faith is
mechanical without understanding, it is definitely possible that he will be
influenced - either by accepting their arguments or having doubts about his
beliefs. This is just like a blind person who is not secure that he won’t
stumble while a sighted person who relies on himself doesn’t have to be
concerned about this. Thus, a person who understands his tradition is secure
that he won’t be turned from his faith because his understanding can refute
challenges to his beliefs. Therefore, a person should not rely totally on
tradition but should learn and become knowledgeable until his faith is complete
and thus have faith both from tradition and understanding. That is what is
meant in Avos (2:19): Diligently study Torah so that you can know how to refute
the heretic. That is why the Torah indicates here that there are two aspects
off faith - understanding and tradition…
[i] רבינו בחיי (דברים יג:ז) ...
כי המאמין מצד הקבלה אם ישמע דברי התועים והכופרים עובדי אלילים אינו בטוח בעצמו
שלא יטה לבו לאחד מהם כיון שאין לו חכמה, אבל בודאי אפשר שיטה לבו, או יאמין או
יסתפק כמו העור שאינו בטוח בעצמו שלא יכשל, אבל הפקח הוא בטוח שלא יכשל כי כח
הראות חזק עמו ואין צריך לאחר, כן המאמין הזה שלם בעצמו, בטוח שלא יטה לבו אחרי
המבהילים, ומתוך חכמתו וידיעתו יסתור דעתם וישאר לבו חזק באמונתו, לכך יצטרך האדם
שלא יספיק לו ענין אמונתו מצד הקבלה בלבד אלא שילמוד ויחכם עד שתשלם אמונתו ותהיה
לו אמונה מצד הקבלה ומצד הידיעה, ועל זה אמרו רז"ל הוי שקוד ללמוד תורה ודע
מה שתשיב לאפיקורוס. וזהו שהזכיר בכאן שני חלקי האמונה ואמר אשר לא ידעת זהו אמונה
מצד הידיעה, אתה ואבותיך היא האמונה מצד קבלת האבות:
Chovas HaLevavos[i](1:2): …
Similarly the person who understands G‑d’s unity solely through the rote
learning of tradition cannot be sure that he won’t come to believe in
polytheism when he hears the arguments of the heretics. He might come to alter
his understanding and err without being aware of it. That is why our Sages said
(Avos 2:14): Study Torah diligently and know how to answer the heretic.
[i] חובות הלבבות (א:ב) ....
וכן המייחד מצד הקבלה אין בוטחין בו שלא יבוא לידי שיתוף, שאם ישמע דברי המשנים
(הכופרים) וטענותם, אפשר שתשתנה דעתו ויטעה (ויכפור) ולא יכיר. ומפני זה אמרו
רבותינו, זכרונם לברכה (אבות ב:יד): הוי שקוד ללמוד תורה, ודע מה שתשיב לאפיקורוס.
Ksav V’HaKabbala[i](Bereishis
12:2): …When exposed to questions from skeptics it is possible that
that his faith will weaken. Thus we see that faith is an aid to knowledge and
knowledge supports faith and that they need each other. One should not stop
studying the truth of his faith. However, if he fails to understand some aspect
of it, he should assume that the problem is with his intellect and he should
hold on to his faith. (Because of the importance of having both knowledge and
emuna, the men of the Great Assembly decreed the beracha of emes (truth) and
emuna which follows the saying of Shema. Emes (truth) refers to that which is known
clearly through the intellect while emuna (faith) is that which is accepted
because of the traditions from our forefathers.
[i] הכתב והקבלה (בראשית יב:ב) ד"ה
ואעשך לגוי גדול... כי מצד שאלות המינים אפשר להתרפות באמונה לבדה, ולזה
האמונה היא עזר הידיעה והידיעה משענת האמונה וכל אחת צריכה לחברתה, לא ירף מלחקור
בדעתו על אמתת אמונתו, אמנם גם מה שנעדר ממנו הידיעה וההשכלה יתלה החסרון בדעתו
ויחזיק באמונתו (ועל שתים אלה ר"ל הידיעה והאמונה תיקנו אנשי כנה"ג אמת
ואמונה בברכה שלאחר קבלת מלכות שמים ואחדותו ועול מצותיו ית', אמת על ידיעת אמתות
אלה לאנשי חקרי לב, ואמונה על ידיעת אמתותה מצד קבלת אבותינו שבידינו...
Shaloh[i](Tractate
Rosh HaShanna): …a person who serves G‑d as a trained habit will sometimes do it
and sometimes not and faith is not firmly established in his heart.
Consequently, if a non‑Jew, or someone else like him, contradicts his faith
with proofs and questions - it is possible that the critic will be successful
in destroying his faith. In contrast one who serves from the knowledge in his
heart, he will not be defeated in the slightest. The words of the Reishis
Chochma are obviously true and coincide with what I have had said before on
this matter. This that he concludes that the knowledgeable believer will not be
influenced in the slightest - the reason is because truth establishes itself
and man prefers to stay with the truth. The apparent exception to this was
Elisha ben Abuyah (Acher) who knew the truth clearly in his heart that G‑d is
unique unity, yet he argued with the truth against the normal way of the world.
He did this entirely because of his bad heart and that is why it was such a
tremendous sin. …
[i] השל"ה (הגהות למסכת ראש
השנה—חמישית) ...העובד דרך מצות אנשים מלומדה, פעם יעשה
ופעם לא יעשה, ואין לבו תקוע באמונה, ואם יבא גוי או אחר כמוהו ויסתור לו אמונתו
מכח ראיות וקושיות, אפשר שינוצח, אמנם העובד בידיעת לבו לא ינוצח בשום פנים וכו':
והנה אמת נכון הדבר ומכוון לכל מה שהזכרתי לעיל מינה בענין זה. ומה שסיים דבריו, אמנם
העובד בידיעת לבו לא ינוצח בשום פנים, הטעם הוא כי האמת יעשה דרכו דרך גבר בעלמא
להחזיק האמת, ואלישע אחר שהיה יודע האמת הברור בלבו שהוא יתברך אחד יחיד, והוא
חולק על האמת שלא כדרך העולם, אין זה כי אם רוע לב העיד שקר בעצמו, על כן גדול
עונו מנשוא.
Rashbatz[i](Magen
Avos 2:19): Know how to reply to the heretic. This is
the justification of our practice to learn secular knowledge in order that we
can reply to them and tell them that they have no proofs that contradict the
Torah and Prophets. This is not a violation of the prohibition of learning
books not included in the Bible - since Sanhedrin (100b) indicates that it
applies only to books like Ben Sira which are part of the ancient Wisdom
Literature or books written by heretics which lack wisdom and are just a waste
of time. Furthermore, the prohibition of learning Greek Wisdom… does not apply
to wisdom which is learned through intellectual analysis but refers to a skill
that existed in Talmudic times for communicating by hints and allusions… In
fact, this skill is not inherently prohibited but was prohibited because of its
role in a particular event in the Destruction of the Temple…. The apparently
prohibition found in Berachos (28b) to keep your children away for higayon -
but higayon is not logic or rhetoric. Rashi says it refers to idle
chatter… In sum, those books which are based upon intellectual analysis are not
prohibited and someone who reads them should accept that which is true and will
learn to reply to their claims which are against the Torah. We find this with
R’ Meir whose teacher was a heretic and would accept the truth and discard the
falsehoods… Furthermore Chagiga (11b) states that one can investigate anything
concerning this world but not which above or below it and not which is before
and after it. Therefore, it is permitted to investigate scientifically anything
connected with this world. We are only prohibited to read those books which
don’t contain knowledge concerning reality.
[i] מגן אבות לרשב"ץ (אבות ב:יט) ודע
מה שתשיב את אפיקורוס מכאן נהגנו היתר בעצמנו ללמוד החכמות ההם, כדי שמדברי עצמם
נשיבם לומר להם כי אין להם ראיות לסתור דברי תורה ונביאים. ואין זה בכלל מה שאמרו,
הקורא בספרים החיצוניים, אין לו חלק לעולם הבא, כי כבר פירשו בגמרא פרק חלק
[סנהדרין ק:], כגון ספרי בן סירא... וכמו ספרי הערב מדברי הימים וכן ספרי מינים
שאין בהם חכמה, אלא אבוד זמן וכן מה שאסרו ללמוד חכמה יונית ... לא אמרו זה על
חכמה שהיא על דרך חקירה שכלית, אלא על החכמה שהיתה נוהגת באותו זמן לדבר בלשון
רמיזה... ואף חכמה זו מותרת היתה, אלא מפני אותו מעשה הנזכר במנחות פרק ר' ישמעאל
[סד:], ועל אותו מעשה אמרו, ארור המלמד את בנו חכמה יונית והמגדל חזירים. ומה
שאמרו בברכות [כח:] בפרק תפלת השחר מנעו בניכם מן ההגיון אינו חכמת א"ל
מנט"ק [אמר אהרן יעללינעק, א"ל מנט"ק בלשון ערב הוא חכמת הגיון או
לוגיק"ה] כי רש"י ז"ל פירש, הגיון שיחה בטלה.... אבל הספרים
המחוברים על דרכי הראיות, אינן בכלל זה, והקורא בהם יקבל מהם האמת וישקוד ללמוד
להשיב במה שהוא כנגד התורה וכמו שאמרו על ר' מאיר כשלמד מאלישע אחר, רימון מצא,
תוכו אכל, קליפתו זרק,... וכבר אמרו בפרק אין דורשין [חגיגה יא:], מקצה השמים ועד
קצה השמים אתה שואל, ואין אתה שואל מה למעלה מה למטה, ומה לפנים מה לאחור. אם כן
מותר הוא לדרוש ולתור בחכמה בענין זה העולם כולו ממרכז הארץ עד מקיף הגלגל העליון,
ולא הזהרנו אלא מהספרים שאין בהם חכמה מחכמות הנמצאות...
Seridei Aish[i](2:53): In general there are two alternatives in the war against the false haskalah of non‑Jewish wisdom. The first is to prohibit, ban and fight with great ferocity against it. The second is to dismiss and ridicule it, while increasing the love and respect to the holiness of our true wisdom which is our life and the length of our days. Therefore when one encounters a modern “rabbi” who is ignorant of the Torah but is an expert in the language of the country and secular knowledge, it is necessary to draw attention to his ignorance of Torah and ridicule him concerning that ignorance. At the same time not to acknowledge his mastery of secular knowledge or respect him as a secular scholar. Similarly concerning a person who is both a Torah scholar and has mastered secular knowledge, it is necessary to honor him because of his Torah and to ignore his secular knowledge as if it doesn’t exist at all.
[i] שרידי אש (ב:נג עמוד תצ"ט) ובכלל
יש שתי דרכים של מלחמה נגד ההשכלה המזוייפת של חכמות חיצוניות. אחת היא האיסור
והחרם והמלחמה בזעף נגדה, והשני' היא הביטול בלב והזלזול בכבודה ותגבורת חיבה
וכבוד לקדושת חכמתנו האמיתית, שהיא חיינו ואורך ימינו. למשל, כשרואים רב מודרני
שאינו יודע את התורה ובקי בשפת המדינה ויודע חכמות חיצוניות, צריך להכריז על מיעוט
ידיעתו בתורה ולזלזל בו על מיעוט ידיעה זו. אבל לא להכריז על ידיעתו בהשכלה,
שעי"כ אנו מחשיבים אותה. וכן כשבא אדם שהוא ת"ח ויש לו גם השכלה, צריך
לכבדו בשביל תורתו ולהסיח דעת מהשכלתו, כאלו איננה בעולם כלל.
Ralbag[i](Mishlei 12:1): No sinful mishap will happen to the righteous because G‑d protects them from the harm that others want do to them and also protects them from improper attributes and thoughts. In contrast, the wicked are full of bad from all aspects because G‑d doesn’t protect them.
[i] רלב"ג (משלי יב:א) לא
יאונה - לא יקרה לצדיקים שום דבר און כי השם יתברך ישמרם מהאון שיחשבו עליהם הרעים
באופן שלא יזוקו בו וגם ישמרם מהאון במדות ובדעות על דרך ההשגחה ואמנם הרשעים מלאו
רע מכל אלו הפנים כי אין הש"י משגיח בהם לשמרם מהם:
[i] מהר"ל (נתיבות עולם א:יד נתיב
התורה) ..., אמנם עדיין צריך עיון שהרי אסור
ללמוד מרב שאינו הגון ... וגם זה אין ראייה דשם אמר כשהוא לומד מפיו ויש לו התקרבות
וחבור אל הרב שמקבל ממנו שאינו הגון ולכך אסור, אבל מן החבורים שחברו אין שייך זה.
מכל מקום צריך עיון ללמוד בחבורים שלהם אשר הם דברים נגד תורת משה רבינו עליו
השלום בחדוש העולם ובידיעות השם יתברך ובהשארת הנפש ועולם הבא אם יש לעיין בהם,...
ויש לחוש באולי יהיה המעיין נמשך אחר דבריהם וראייתם, כמו שמצינו בני אדם שהיו
נמשכים אחריהם... אך אמנם אם דעתו כמו שאמרו (אבות ב:יד) ודע מה שתשיב לאפיקורס
ואם לא ידע דבריהם איך ידע להשיב על דבריהם ואם כן צריך לדעת דבריהם, ודבר זה
בודאי מותר אם כוונתו ללמוד דבריהם כדי שידע להשיב לאפיקורס... ולענין זה מותר ולא
נחוש שיהיה נמשך אחר דעתם אם תחלת כוונתו לסתור דבריהם כאשר דברו נגד התורה ודעת
חכמים, אך לעשות דבר זה להביא דבריהם לפרש בהם דברי תורה ולהם אין חלק וזכרון
בתורת משה והרי שם רשעים ירקב. ... ולא מצאנו דבר זה בתלמוד להזכיר את אחד להביא
ממנו שום דבר חכמה את אשר לא היה לו חלק בתורת משה. ומקרוב זה שנתפשטו חבורים אלו
ונמשך דעות בני אדם אחר דבריהם להתחכם גם כן בדברים שמגיעים לעקרי האמונה, ... בודאי
אם הדבר שנמצא בדבריהם הוא פירוש וחזוק אל הדברים שנמצאו בדברי חכמינו דבר זה ראוי
לקבל, אבל אם ... הוא כנגד מה שנמצא בתורה אף בדבר מה חס ושלום שיהיה מקבל אף דבר
קטן... כלל העולה מדברינו כי יש לעיין בדבריהם שיוכל להשיב על דבריהם לשואל כמו
שאמרו חכמים. ואם ימצא דבר הגון בדבריהם המחזיק האמונה יקבל, אך מה שנמצא בדבריהם
אף דבר קטון שהוא כנגד אמונת ישראל או אשר נמצא בדברי חכמים אף דבר קטון חס ושלום
לשמוע להם, אך יתבונן בשכלו להשיב על דבריהם כפי שכלו. ובזה יהיה זהיר וזריז בכל
נפשו להעמיד דבר אמת, שלכך אבות העולם הראשונים צוו בגודל האזהרה הוי שקוד ללמוד
כדי שתשיב לאפיקורס וכמו שפרשנו שם, ובודאי אין זה נאמר רק על פילוסופי יון שהיו
חוקרים מדעתם ומשכלם ושאלתם חקירת פילוסופי, ולכך אמר שיהיה שקוד דהיינו זריזות
יתירה ועיון שכלי להשיב על דבריהם להעמיד דת אמת. ובזה יהיה שכרו עם הצדיקים בגן
עדן אמן כן יהי רצון. סליק:
Maharal[i](Divrei Nagidim): The person who doesn’t know how to ask a question is not far from being a wicked person. Even though he has not reached the level of causing others to sin by ridiculing their religion. By the fact that he doesn’t have questions at all concerning the commandments, it appears that he has no relationship at all with them. Therefore, it is quite appropriate to answer him by saying that for the sake of these mitzvos G‑d did miracles for me in my redemption from Egypt. This is to arouse his desire to take part in these mitzvos and to understand that they have such great power that they brought about the redemption… If he listens then it is well. If he doesn’t then you, speak to him exactly as you speak to the wicked person. “For me and not for you. If you had been in Egypt you would not have been redeemed.”
[i] מהר"ל (ספר דברי נגידים עמוד עג) ד"ה
אמנם דע כי - וכיון שהאינו יודע לשאול הוא לא רחוק הרבה ממדרגת הרשע. אף
שלא הגיע עוד אליו להיות גם מחטיא את אחרים ללעוג מעבודתם. אבל הלא גם הוא כיון
שאינו שואל כלל על המצות נראה שאין לו שום שייכות אל המצות. ועל כן שפיר שייך אליו
זו התשובה בעבור זה עשה ה' לי בצאתי ממצרים. לעוררו בחשקות ליקח חלק במצות האלו
ולהבינו שכח גדול שיש להן שבעבורן היתה הגאולה.. ואם ישמע מוטב. ואם לא יאמר לו גם
כן בדיוק הזה שיאמר לרשע. לי ולא לך. אלו היית שם לא היית נגאל...
Bava Basra (75a) R. Johanan explained when he once sat and gave an exposition: The Holy One, blessed be He, will in time to come bring precious stones and pearls which are thirty cubits by thirty and will cut out from them openings ten cubits by twenty, and will set them up in the gates of Jerusalem. A certain student sneered at him: Jewels of the size of a dove's egg are not to be found; are jewels of such a size to be found? After a time, his ship sailed out to sea where he saw ministering angels engaged in cutting precious stones and pearls which were thirty cubits by thirty and on which were engravings of ten cubits by twenty. He said unto them: ‘For whom are these?’ They replied that the Holy One, blessed be He, would in time to come set them up in the gates of Jerusalem. When he came again before R. Johanan he said unto him: ‘Expound, O my master; it is becoming for you to expound; as you said, so have I seen.’ He replied unto him: ‘Raca, had you not seen, would not you have believed? You are then sneering at the words of the Sages!’ He set his eyes on him and the student turned into a heap of bones.
Rambam[i](Avos 2:14): You should know what to answer the apikorus. It is necessary to learn things to be able to refute the apikorus when they ask you questions. It is important to note that this only applies to a non‑Jewish heretic. In contrast one should not argue with a Jewish heretic since it only makes them worse and they intensify their abusive comments. Therefore, one should not speak to them at all since it serves no constructive purpose and you can’t help them at all... Furthermore, even though the ability to respond to the heretics requires that one learn the non‑Jewish religions, one should take care not to accept any aspect of their religion. You should constantly be aware that G‑d is fully cognizant of what is in your heart. Therefore, one’s heart should always be directed at having the proper faith.
[i] רמב"ם (אבות ב:יד): מה שתשיב לאפיקורוס. אמר צריך שתלמד דברים שתשיב בהם לאפיקורסים ותחלוק עליהם ותשיבם אם יקשו לך, ואמרו (סנהדרין שם) לא שנו אלא אפיקורס עובד כוכבים אבל אפיקורס ישראל כ"ש דפקר טפי, ר"ל שיוסיף לבזות, ומפני זה אין צריך לדבר עמו כלל שאין לו תקנה ואין לו רפואה כלל ועיקר שנאמר כל באיה לא ישובון ולא ישיגו ארחות חיים, ואמרו אף על פי שתלמד דעות האומות לדעת איך תשיב עליהם. השמר שלא יעלה בלבך דבר מן הדעות
ההם, ודע שמי שתעמוד לפניו יודע צפון לבך, והוא אמרו ודע לפני
מי אתה עמל. רצה לומר שיכוין לבו באמונת השם יתברך:
Why is it harder to raise kids or teach them in this generation?
1 Extreme permissiveness - everything is OK
2) Patents and teachers have no time for the individual
3) Self proclaimed experts are incompetent
$4) Social pressure from internet and smartphones
6) Reality and being responsible are no longer important
7) Parents are too controlling
)8) academic success is not important
9) yetzer harah is too strong
10) Psychology is too pervasive
11) Daas Torah gives false sense of security
12 low self esteem
13 too much self confidence
14) too much wealth
15) children are emotionally needy and demand too much attention
14) too much concern with self caring
15) no different than previous generations
Saturday, October 15, 2022
Halloween Comes Early at Georgia Senate Debate as Herschel Walker Flashes ‘Prop’ Badge
Walker’s opponent and incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock poked fun at Walker’s claims — as well as a 2001 report where the former football star threatened a shootout with police — during the debate. On the topic of law enforcement, Warnock quipped, “One thing I have not done – I’ve never pretended to be a police officer.”
As the audience responded to Warnock’s jab and moderator Tina Tyus-Shaw attempted to move on to a different subject, Walker reached into his coat pocket and whipped out a badge of unknown origin.
Friday, October 14, 2022
Questions I - what? vs why? vs silence?
I would like to start a discussion of the nature and validity of questions in the Orthodox world. This is a spin-off of the discussion regarding R' Tropper and R' Slifkin in the comments section. I think it deserves a separate post.
Let me start by stating that forty years when I first met Rav Shlomo Freifeld. I asked him some fundamental questions. His response was, "These are good questions, it is important to ask questions. But you should know that probably all of the questions you will ask have already been asked by our sages and discussed. But you need to be patient. We will eventually get to your questions."
It is one of the ironies of life that Reb Shlomo never did answer these questions - though we talked for many hours and I spent much time with him. One of the reasons for my sefer Daas Torah has been my own efforts to answer these questions. Reb Shlomo himself had many questions. He would raise questions in discussion or at the Shabbos table - but often there was no answer.
He had an extensive library of English books which included philosophy and novels. He even had me take out various philosophy books from the Brooklyn College library for him to read. However he never articulated answers to fundamental questions. He served primarily to validate the enterprise of searching and questioning. Once he approached me for a favor. "I just got a donation of a set of Encyclopedia Judaic on the condition that it be used by the yeshiva. It is full of kefira so I can't let it be used freely. Would you please use it so that I can fulfill the conditions?"
He often talked about the freshness of a child's curiosity and the unfortunate stagnation that happens when a person grows up and "knows" the answers
A year after his petira, I called up his son-in-law - the present rosh hayeshiva - to ask what Reb Shlomo held regarding asking questions or discussing topics that might cause religious doubt. He responded, "I never discussed these type of hashkofa questions with him. The only one who mights have discussed these type of issues with him was my wife." As far as I know there was no yerusha concerning Reb Shlomo's comfortable open mindedness.
There is a very profound statement by one of the most famous heretics - Spinoza. He asked, "What is an answer?" As any parent knows there is a certain age that child ask "why?" to anything and everything. What is an answer? Spinoza said that an answer is simply that which takes away the urge to ask another question!
It was not just Rabbi Freifeld and Rav Hutner who had an insatiable curiosity about everything. Soon after the petira of the Lubavitcher Rebbe I was talking with Rav Yaakov Goldberg - the head of the Lubavitch baal teshuva yeshiva Hadar HaTorah - concerning some of these things. He said, "You are too late! All these fundamental questions were of great interest to the Lubavicher Rebbe. There is no one today."
Finally let me mention my experience with writing and publishing my sefer Daas Torah. When I first started working on it I consulted a famous rabbi connected with Artscroll. He told me point blank - "you are a danger to klall Yisroel. You are going to cause confusion and doubt by telling people that there are multiple ways of understanding fundamental hashkofa issues."
I consulted with Rav Bulman. His response was, "You will never get away with presenting multiple views. The yeshiva world holds that there is one right answer. You are following in the approach of Rav Tzadok and Rav Kook. But I want to buy the first copy. You hear I don't want a present I want to buy the first copy."
I talked to Rav Yaakov Weinberg - rosh hayeshiva of Ner Israel in Baltimore. We talked for an hour and he repeatedly said. "We encourage questions from our talmidim in the yeshiva. There is nothing that you can't ask. However regarding writing - you can write about anything except the dispute between the chassidim and the Gra." He was also astonished when I mentioned Rav Dessler's view of eilu v'eilu - that it is simply a manifestation of different perspectives but all competing view of our sages are fundamentally in agreement. "You can't tell me that an intelligent person can think this way! If so words have no meaning."
I then went to Rav Eliashiv - he told me simply that there is no problem of raising issues and presenting multiple alternatives - as long as the source material was from mainstream accepted views. He did not see a problem "as long as I did not present sources from the Cairo Geniza." In regards to the issue of confusion - he said simply "let them ask their rebbes and rosh yeshiva." You don't avoid teaching Torah because it raises questions."
Rav Solveitchik on the other hand was not an intellectual i.e., he was not an open ended thinker - he was a Brisker. One of his students told me that one winter they were involved in a complex sugya when someone raised a question which was not discussed in any of the commentaries. It greatly upset Rav Solveitchik because "there is no valid question which is not discussed in the meforshim." The students were in the middle of their summer break when they received a call that Rav Soloveitchik wanted them to come to a special shiur. At the shiur he announced that he had found the solution to why no one talked about the question. The question was based on a mistaken girsa. He repeated again, "If it is a valid question you will find it discussed in the meforshim. If it isn't discussed that indicates it is not a valid question."
In the next post I will cite some of the fundamental texts dealing with the validity of questions - in particular those that don't have clear definitive answers. One final caution - the issue of asking questions and being open-minded exists in equal measure in the non-Orthodox world - both secular and religious. It would be helpful if you read the classic work "Teaching as a subversive activity." It contrasts the view of secular education as process of socialization versus learning how to think clearly.
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Reb Shlomo Freifeld - remembering his greatness and how he inspired others to be great
To help get a richer glimpse of Reb Shlomo's unique sensitivity and personality I am offering a few stories from my 10 years in Shor Yoshuv. After reading them reread the article.
Rebbe Of My Past, Pillar Of My Forever
By Mendel Horowitz, Mishpacha Magazine, Succos 5776
According to my father, life for me in Shor Yoshuv began on Erev Rosh Hashanah, when still unredeemed, I lay on his shtender throughout Minchah at the coming of 5732. After Yom Tov, my pidyon haben happened in the basement of the “old” building. The deli platters were from a Brooklyn caterer who opened special for the occasion and the lemon meringue pie was my bubby’s who, until her end, spoke regrettably of the bochurim transporting those pastries upside down so the meringue stuck to the foil packaging. Twenty-five years later I would redeem my own son in the dining room of the “new” building, making me an incidental detail in a matter of Trivial Pursuit.
From the modest yeshivah he founded in 1967 and in the brotherhood that from there evolved, Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld "revived the spirits of the lowly and the hearts of those contrite." These words from Isaiah appear on his tombstone and in that way I experienced him in life. As a tower of passion and sincerity, Rabbi Freifeld influenced countless students throughout the 70s and 80s, religious from birth and baalei teshuva alike. Under his leadership, Shor Yoshuv became a haven for idealistic young men who found in him their mentor, model, and cornerstone for living.
My father was among those initially attracted to their rebbe’s vibrant manner, and with my mother, toiled to develop the yeshivah into a community. For as long as I can remember Rabbi Freifeld was our master and Shor Yoshuv was our muse. There was never uncoupling the two. Our teacher’s scheme was not aimed at scholarship nor was it limited to scholars. His surprising coalition of styles met a startling combination of needs. We trusted in our master because he believed in everyone first. In our rebbe we found incentive. In his yeshivah we discovered our worth.
Long before “at risk” was cliche, Rabbi Freifeld won the affection of uninspired youth from ordinary, Orthodox homes with his smile, honesty, common sense, and concern. Never a pioneer of any movement, the New York-born son of immigrant parents attended first to others like him, capturing the attention of unresolved yeshivah students who had nowhere else to go. In his rebbe, my wary father discovered a figure he could trust; and in Shor Yoshuv, a faith he could esteem. If you are an Orthodox Jew in America, you conceivably have experienced effects of Rabbi Freifeld’s magnanimity. In Far Rockaway, Rabbi Freifeld made possible a generation of families living inspired, inventive lives. In the hearts of his talmidim and in the methods of modern educators, my rebbe’s original influence endures.[...]
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My father was among those initially attracted to their rebbe’s vibrant manner, and with my mother, toiled to develop the yeshivah into a community. For as long as I can remember Rabbi Freifeld was our master and Shor Yoshuv was our muse. There was never uncoupling the two. Our teacher’s scheme was not aimed at scholarship nor was it limited to scholars. His surprising coalition of styles met a startling combination of needs. We trusted in our master because he believed in everyone first. In our rebbe we found incentive. In his yeshivah we discovered our worth.
Long before “at risk” was cliche, Rabbi Freifeld won the affection of uninspired youth from ordinary, Orthodox homes with his smile, honesty, common sense, and concern. Never a pioneer of any movement, the New York-born son of immigrant parents attended first to others like him, capturing the attention of unresolved yeshivah students who had nowhere else to go. In his rebbe, my wary father discovered a figure he could trust; and in Shor Yoshuv, a faith he could esteem. If you are an Orthodox Jew in America, you conceivably have experienced effects of Rabbi Freifeld’s magnanimity. In Far Rockaway, Rabbi Freifeld made possible a generation of families living inspired, inventive lives. In the hearts of his talmidim and in the methods of modern educators, my rebbe’s original influence endures.[...]
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============Some of my personal memories of Reb Shlomo - DT =============
I never remember him pulling rank as a rosh yeshiva or even as an older person. Nor do I ever remember his criticizing me - though I gave him ample reason. He was always focused on eliciting growth from everyone. Especially from those who felt they had nothing to offer. He never said anything because we deserved it, but rather what we needed to hear to continue our struggle to greatness. He was always smiling
At my first meeting with him - at the suggestion of Rav Bulman - I explained that I had many questions about Yiddishkeit that I had not gotten answers for and had been told that many of my questions were inappropriate to ask He said simply, "All questions are legitimate. The gemora is organized around questions. There is nothing wrong with asking questions. All I ask from you is to be patient about getting answers. I'll try and arrange private time for us to discuss your questions." In fact after 10 years he addressed very few of my questions. Some were dealt with by other rebbeim in the yeshiva. But his major contribution to me was to legitimize my questioning. I eventually wrote a sefer "Daas Torah" that deals with many of the issues that bothered me. Thus he ended up giving me the ability to answer the questions - myself.
update: Reb Shlomo not only had a great sensitivity and skill dealing with others but he also had a strong physical presence and charisma. I hadn't realized how much his physical presence was part of the "message" until I started transcribing his speeches for someone. When compared to my memory of what he said or even a hearing a recording - the paper record just sat there. The electricity and awesome power of his words simply weren't captured by the transcript. He once told me that he had trouble writing his thoughts and wished he could just commanded the pen to write. (This was before voice activated computer transcription programs). But the bottom line is the impact of what he said was strongly dependent on the personal experience of seeing this giant of a man expressing his heart felt words with his entire being.
It was one of the rules of the yeshiva that any stranger who walked in was to be greeted. That this is unusual was revealed by bochurim who left to go to other yeshivos and reported how strange and insensitive their new yeshivos were. One bochur who went to Lakewood reported that someone had come from Australia and went unnoticed in the Beis HaMedrash. He also told the story of another bochur who had an important phone call but didn't have change. He was ignored in the beis hamedrash where everyone was learning with great hasmoda. Suddenly he felt someone link arms with him. It was the mashgiach Rav Wachtfogel. The mashgiach announced to everyone, "your fellow student is in need of change - who can provide it for him."
At my first meeting with him - at the suggestion of Rav Bulman - I explained that I had many questions about Yiddishkeit that I had not gotten answers for and had been told that many of my questions were inappropriate to ask He said simply, "All questions are legitimate. The gemora is organized around questions. There is nothing wrong with asking questions. All I ask from you is to be patient about getting answers. I'll try and arrange private time for us to discuss your questions." In fact after 10 years he addressed very few of my questions. Some were dealt with by other rebbeim in the yeshiva. But his major contribution to me was to legitimize my questioning. I eventually wrote a sefer "Daas Torah" that deals with many of the issues that bothered me. Thus he ended up giving me the ability to answer the questions - myself.
update: Reb Shlomo not only had a great sensitivity and skill dealing with others but he also had a strong physical presence and charisma. I hadn't realized how much his physical presence was part of the "message" until I started transcribing his speeches for someone. When compared to my memory of what he said or even a hearing a recording - the paper record just sat there. The electricity and awesome power of his words simply weren't captured by the transcript. He once told me that he had trouble writing his thoughts and wished he could just commanded the pen to write. (This was before voice activated computer transcription programs). But the bottom line is the impact of what he said was strongly dependent on the personal experience of seeing this giant of a man expressing his heart felt words with his entire being.
It was one of the rules of the yeshiva that any stranger who walked in was to be greeted. That this is unusual was revealed by bochurim who left to go to other yeshivos and reported how strange and insensitive their new yeshivos were. One bochur who went to Lakewood reported that someone had come from Australia and went unnoticed in the Beis HaMedrash. He also told the story of another bochur who had an important phone call but didn't have change. He was ignored in the beis hamedrash where everyone was learning with great hasmoda. Suddenly he felt someone link arms with him. It was the mashgiach Rav Wachtfogel. The mashgiach announced to everyone, "your fellow student is in need of change - who can provide it for him."
Once I criticized the way Reb Shlomo dealt with a certain individual. Instead of being offended he said the following immortal words. "I never claimed to be infallible and I make mistakes. But the most important thing that I have done is create a tzibur. Most of what happens here is due to the tzibur - not to me."
Reb Shlomo told me that he was jealous of his devoted talmid - Benjy Brecher - who readily cried during davening. I was astounded that the rosh yeshiva would reveal to a bochur that he felt he lacked something that someone else had.
When I started Shor Yoshuv I didn't know how to learn gemora. Most of the other guys had come up through the yeshiva system and had no trouble with the gemora. I was once sitting in the beis medrash feeling depressed about my incompetence an difficulty keeping up with the others. As usual he not only picked up that something was wrong - but he came over to try and deal with my issues. When I explained my serious problems, he said. "Is that all that is bothering you? You feel that everyone is far advanced of you and you will never catch up? You are in fact in a superior position to most of the other guys in yeshiva. They have spent years developing a strong hatred for Torah learning. You have a head start because you simply have to learn gemora. They have to first overcome their hatred for it in order to advance."
After Shabbos morning davening we had a kiddush in which he gave insights into the parsha. He once spoke about the gemora in Shabbos which says one should not ask a talmid chachom questions about a gemora that he is not currently studying because he might be embarrassed to admit the he didn't understand it and he would make up an answer. My chavrusa and I had just made a siyum on Shabbos and we both looked at each other when he gave an explanation for what the gemora meant. It clearly went against the intent of the gemora. After the kiddush we went over to him and asked him to explain why he gave an explanation which was clearly not what the gemora said. He looked at us both and said, "What do you expect from someone who hasn't looked at that gemora in 25 years." His unflinching honesty in admitting to his students that he was wrong served the purpose of not only showing his tremendous concern for the truth - even if it caused him embarrassment - but also reinforced the gemora. Most talmidei chachomim would have in fact attempted a rationalization to conceal their error.
There was a student in the yeshiva who had done the unforgivable. It had become public knowledge that he was living his with girl friend. Obviously he was going to kicked out of the yeshiva and we were all sure that he would be given a very harsh lecture from Reb Shlomo. I was sitting in the beis hamedrash when he came in for his meeting for Reb Shlomo. He sat next to me and said, "Well it looks like I am leaving and I am sure Reb Shlmo has some choice words which I deserve - but I really don't care what he says."
He was calm and acted as if he was glad his stay in yeshiva was over. A few minutes later he was called into Reb Shlomo's office and we waited for the yelling and screaming to start. But there were no sounds coming from the closed office. When he finally came out he was white and shaking. "
I asked him what did he say to you?" It must have been incredibly harsh to penetrate his confident sneer. He replied, "Reb Shlomo simply asked me for personal forgiveness - that he wasn't big enough to influence me properly." That was the only thing he had no defense against and it penetrated his defenses like a cruise missile.
I was one of Reb Shlomo's principle drivers - since I had access to a car. I once drove him to Williamsburg to get a new wide rimmed hat which had been custom made for him. When he tried it on he saw that it was not what he had ordered. I was amazed that he didn't directly criticize the man. Instead he said, "I am embarrassed that I have to say that this is not what I ordered."
When one of the supporters of the yeshiva who lived in Washington D.C. was niftar, he asked me and a few other bochurim to drive down with him to see the family who were sitting shiva. The man's children were all below the age of 8. What do you say to young children who have just lost their father?
He sat down with them at a small table. He didn't try to give them words of comfort - they meant nothing to them. What he did do was to talk to them as if he one of them. And he entertained them by making various faces. In short he comforted them on their level - something he was the master at doing. I learned that the mitzva of nichum aveilum is not to make yourself feel righteous - but rather is to do what is needed to comfort the mourner.
We were once driving to Brooklyn and he mentioned that according to the gemora in Berachos it is prohibited to mention Torah in the presence of a dead person - because the dead person no longer had the ability to learn Torah. He told me in the name of Rav Hutner, "It is not only for the dead that one should avoid shaming because of their inability to participate. This is a lesson for everyone. For example one should not have a spirited Torah discussion in the company of the ignorant who can not participate. One needs to be sensitive to the feelings of others."
When I moved to Brooklyn after 10 years in Shor Yoshuva, it was quite disconcerting. No one took the initiative to greet me or other newcomers. But perhaps the greatest change was the lack of community. In Flatbush there was no community to belong to. I once mentioned this to Rabbi Shimshon Scherer. His response was, "You have lived in a fantasy world for ten years. You will never find another community like it. Just be glad that you had a chance to be part of it."
When Rav Feivel Cohen shul's had a melave malke in Flatbush. Rav Feivel Cohen was hoping to form a genuine kehila like Shor Yoshuva. Reb Shlomo was the guest speaker. I'll never forget the words, "As I was driving across the Marine Channel Bridge linking the Rockaways and Flatbush I knew that I was stranger entering a strange land. A land without a sense of community as we have in Shor Yoshuv. Fortunately Reb Feivel is working to correct that problem and with G-d's help he will succeed in building a genuine kehila here in Brooklyn.
Reb Shlomo was down to earth and had a solid sense of humor. I spent a lot of time with his family, doing errands and well as spending time with his children. Once his 7 year old daughter took a vice grips pliers that I was using to fix something in the house and removed the screw and threw it out on the roof adjacent to their kitchen. I was very upset at losing a valuable tool. Reb Shlomo came in and sized up the problem. How to get the screw that was lying on the roof? Obviously no one was going to climb out the window to retrieve it. He thought a moment and asked his daughters for several pieces of bubble gum which he proceeded to chew. He then stuck the wad on the end of a broom stick and stuck it out the window and retrieved the screw.
At the yeshiva we occasionally had visiting talmidei chachomim give a shiur to the entire yeshiva. On one occasion, the distinguished talmid chachom spoke about Bava Kamma regarding the difference between a tam and muad ox. What was interesting was that the roshei yeshiva constantly interrupted him and disagreed with him. After the shiur a number of us stood around discussing the shiur. We concluded that it couldn't have been correct since the roshei yeshiva disagreed with it - so why was he asked to speak. Reb Shlomo sensed our question and noted, "You are probably wondering why we asked him to speak if we disagree with what he said. What I wanted you to note was not so much the content of the shiur but how he relates to Torah. Most of us have a very formal relationship with Torah. A distance is maintained with proper attitude. However I hope that you noted that for Rav Plontchik there is no distance. He relates to the Torah as if he were in a comfortable bed. Torah is something personal and intimate. I wanted you to experience a talmid chachom who has such a relationship to Torah - even if I disagree with his conclusions."
When I left Shor Yoshuv for Brooklyn, the final meeting I had contained one message. "Doniel don't forget to be normal. Far Rockaway is still normal - only one family has a chandelier." In fact saying that someone was normal was one of his highest praises.
Just before I left America to move to Israel, I drove to Far Rockaway from Brooklyn with my young sons. At that time Reb Shlomo was dying from spinal cancer. He was in constant pain and he was in constant danger from catching a cold or worse because of the medication that suppressed his immune response. Because one of my sons had a cold I left them in the car to run in and get his bracha and run out. He didn't have the energy for more than that.
However things didn't go as expected. He wanted to talk and we did. I realized it wasn't a good idea to leave my young sons alone in the car and so I stood up to say goodbye - explaining the problem.
When he heard that my sons were in the car he insisted that I bring them in - even though he was exposing himself to danger. He not only greeted them but insisted on talking with each one - including asking them to solve mathematical puzzles. Finally he gave them individual berachos and we departed. His literal mesira nefesh for others was astounding.
When I started Shor Yoshuv I didn't know how to learn gemora. Most of the other guys had come up through the yeshiva system and had no trouble with the gemora. I was once sitting in the beis medrash feeling depressed about my incompetence an difficulty keeping up with the others. As usual he not only picked up that something was wrong - but he came over to try and deal with my issues. When I explained my serious problems, he said. "Is that all that is bothering you? You feel that everyone is far advanced of you and you will never catch up? You are in fact in a superior position to most of the other guys in yeshiva. They have spent years developing a strong hatred for Torah learning. You have a head start because you simply have to learn gemora. They have to first overcome their hatred for it in order to advance."
After Shabbos morning davening we had a kiddush in which he gave insights into the parsha. He once spoke about the gemora in Shabbos which says one should not ask a talmid chachom questions about a gemora that he is not currently studying because he might be embarrassed to admit the he didn't understand it and he would make up an answer. My chavrusa and I had just made a siyum on Shabbos and we both looked at each other when he gave an explanation for what the gemora meant. It clearly went against the intent of the gemora. After the kiddush we went over to him and asked him to explain why he gave an explanation which was clearly not what the gemora said. He looked at us both and said, "What do you expect from someone who hasn't looked at that gemora in 25 years." His unflinching honesty in admitting to his students that he was wrong served the purpose of not only showing his tremendous concern for the truth - even if it caused him embarrassment - but also reinforced the gemora. Most talmidei chachomim would have in fact attempted a rationalization to conceal their error.
There was a student in the yeshiva who had done the unforgivable. It had become public knowledge that he was living his with girl friend. Obviously he was going to kicked out of the yeshiva and we were all sure that he would be given a very harsh lecture from Reb Shlomo. I was sitting in the beis hamedrash when he came in for his meeting for Reb Shlomo. He sat next to me and said, "Well it looks like I am leaving and I am sure Reb Shlmo has some choice words which I deserve - but I really don't care what he says."
He was calm and acted as if he was glad his stay in yeshiva was over. A few minutes later he was called into Reb Shlomo's office and we waited for the yelling and screaming to start. But there were no sounds coming from the closed office. When he finally came out he was white and shaking. "
I asked him what did he say to you?" It must have been incredibly harsh to penetrate his confident sneer. He replied, "Reb Shlomo simply asked me for personal forgiveness - that he wasn't big enough to influence me properly." That was the only thing he had no defense against and it penetrated his defenses like a cruise missile.
I was one of Reb Shlomo's principle drivers - since I had access to a car. I once drove him to Williamsburg to get a new wide rimmed hat which had been custom made for him. When he tried it on he saw that it was not what he had ordered. I was amazed that he didn't directly criticize the man. Instead he said, "I am embarrassed that I have to say that this is not what I ordered."
When one of the supporters of the yeshiva who lived in Washington D.C. was niftar, he asked me and a few other bochurim to drive down with him to see the family who were sitting shiva. The man's children were all below the age of 8. What do you say to young children who have just lost their father?
He sat down with them at a small table. He didn't try to give them words of comfort - they meant nothing to them. What he did do was to talk to them as if he one of them. And he entertained them by making various faces. In short he comforted them on their level - something he was the master at doing. I learned that the mitzva of nichum aveilum is not to make yourself feel righteous - but rather is to do what is needed to comfort the mourner.
We were once driving to Brooklyn and he mentioned that according to the gemora in Berachos it is prohibited to mention Torah in the presence of a dead person - because the dead person no longer had the ability to learn Torah. He told me in the name of Rav Hutner, "It is not only for the dead that one should avoid shaming because of their inability to participate. This is a lesson for everyone. For example one should not have a spirited Torah discussion in the company of the ignorant who can not participate. One needs to be sensitive to the feelings of others."
When I moved to Brooklyn after 10 years in Shor Yoshuva, it was quite disconcerting. No one took the initiative to greet me or other newcomers. But perhaps the greatest change was the lack of community. In Flatbush there was no community to belong to. I once mentioned this to Rabbi Shimshon Scherer. His response was, "You have lived in a fantasy world for ten years. You will never find another community like it. Just be glad that you had a chance to be part of it."
When Rav Feivel Cohen shul's had a melave malke in Flatbush. Rav Feivel Cohen was hoping to form a genuine kehila like Shor Yoshuva. Reb Shlomo was the guest speaker. I'll never forget the words, "As I was driving across the Marine Channel Bridge linking the Rockaways and Flatbush I knew that I was stranger entering a strange land. A land without a sense of community as we have in Shor Yoshuv. Fortunately Reb Feivel is working to correct that problem and with G-d's help he will succeed in building a genuine kehila here in Brooklyn.
Reb Shlomo was down to earth and had a solid sense of humor. I spent a lot of time with his family, doing errands and well as spending time with his children. Once his 7 year old daughter took a vice grips pliers that I was using to fix something in the house and removed the screw and threw it out on the roof adjacent to their kitchen. I was very upset at losing a valuable tool. Reb Shlomo came in and sized up the problem. How to get the screw that was lying on the roof? Obviously no one was going to climb out the window to retrieve it. He thought a moment and asked his daughters for several pieces of bubble gum which he proceeded to chew. He then stuck the wad on the end of a broom stick and stuck it out the window and retrieved the screw.
At the yeshiva we occasionally had visiting talmidei chachomim give a shiur to the entire yeshiva. On one occasion, the distinguished talmid chachom spoke about Bava Kamma regarding the difference between a tam and muad ox. What was interesting was that the roshei yeshiva constantly interrupted him and disagreed with him. After the shiur a number of us stood around discussing the shiur. We concluded that it couldn't have been correct since the roshei yeshiva disagreed with it - so why was he asked to speak. Reb Shlomo sensed our question and noted, "You are probably wondering why we asked him to speak if we disagree with what he said. What I wanted you to note was not so much the content of the shiur but how he relates to Torah. Most of us have a very formal relationship with Torah. A distance is maintained with proper attitude. However I hope that you noted that for Rav Plontchik there is no distance. He relates to the Torah as if he were in a comfortable bed. Torah is something personal and intimate. I wanted you to experience a talmid chachom who has such a relationship to Torah - even if I disagree with his conclusions."
When I left Shor Yoshuv for Brooklyn, the final meeting I had contained one message. "Doniel don't forget to be normal. Far Rockaway is still normal - only one family has a chandelier." In fact saying that someone was normal was one of his highest praises.
Just before I left America to move to Israel, I drove to Far Rockaway from Brooklyn with my young sons. At that time Reb Shlomo was dying from spinal cancer. He was in constant pain and he was in constant danger from catching a cold or worse because of the medication that suppressed his immune response. Because one of my sons had a cold I left them in the car to run in and get his bracha and run out. He didn't have the energy for more than that.
However things didn't go as expected. He wanted to talk and we did. I realized it wasn't a good idea to leave my young sons alone in the car and so I stood up to say goodbye - explaining the problem.
When he heard that my sons were in the car he insisted that I bring them in - even though he was exposing himself to danger. He not only greeted them but insisted on talking with each one - including asking them to solve mathematical puzzles. Finally he gave them individual berachos and we departed. His literal mesira nefesh for others was astounding.
Trump employee tells FBI that Trump directed boxes to be moved at Mar-a-Lago after subpoena served
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/12/politics/trump-employee-fbi-mar-a-lago-boxes/index.html
The Trump employee initially denied handling sensitive documents or boxes at Mar-a-Lago, according to the source. But the FBI developed evidence that prompted investigators to go back to the witness, who revised their story to say Trump had given instructions to move the boxes, the source said.
MAGA Republicans Decry 'Persecution' of Alex Jones After $1B Settlement
https://www.newsweek.com/maga-republicans-decry-persecution-alex-jones-after-1b-settlement-1751384
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on Twitter shortly after the final damages were announced by the Connecticut jury, and argued on Jones' behalf, saying that "all [Jones] did was speak words."
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Russians desperately search for Jewish roots to flee military conscription
Tens of thousands of Russians have fled their home country since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, and even more are desperately seeking to flee after Vladimir Putin announced a nationwide military call-up in September.
Many of those seeking to leave have scrambled to find any proof of Jewish roots in their family history to be able to flee to Israel, where the Law of Return allows anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent to obtain Israeli citizenship, as well as people who convert to Judaism.
Why Some U.S. Conservatives Are Finding Common Cause With Russia
https://www.newsweek.com/why-some-us-conservatives-are-finding-common-cause-russia-1751115
Much of the U.S. right, particularly in Congress, still subscribe to anti-Kremlin positions, but a vocal minority have been taking positions that are either sympathetic towards, or openly supportive of, Vladimir Putin's Russia.
In unaired portions of Tucker Carlson interview, Ye made antisemitic remarks, spoke of ‘fake children’ infiltrating his home
Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, made several antisemitic remarks and spoke of “fake children” infiltrating his home in unaired portions of his recent interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Ye — who was locked out of his Instagram and Twitter accounts in the last few days over antisemitic comments — advanced several antisemitic conspiracy theories in the unaired portion of the interview obtained by Motherboard.
DOJ's 'Compelling' Response to Trump SCOTUS Appeal Hailed by Legal Experts
https://www.newsweek.com/dojs-compelling-response-trump-scotus-appeal-hailed-legal-experts-1750959
"DOJ's response opposing the emergency application Trump's legal team filed in the Supreme Court, with a stopover in Justice Clarence Thomas's chambers, is utterly devastating," Tribe tweeted. "It pulverizes all of Trump's arguments and leaves none standing."
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