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(A free translation)

'' These are times of great danger and concern for our brethren in the land of

Israel, and for the Jewish people throughout the world.

We implore our fellow Jews to invoke

Heavenly mercy, to pour out their hearts in

prayer through the recitation of Tehillim

every day. It would be especially appropriate

to recite publicly Tehillim chapters 43, 80

and 83 at the conclusion of Shachris.

And Teshuva (repentance), and Tefila (prayer), and Tzedaka (charity) are

effective in preventing misfortune.,,

MonZEs Gmoi.AJ HArORAH OF AMEllK:A 16 ADAR 5754

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mo WISH BSERVER

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©Copyright 1994

1994 VOLUME XXVll I NO. 2

Wm Do THEY SAY THosE TH1Ncs Asour Us?-A SYMPOSIUM

6 An Examination of Causes, and Some Responses-an Overview Rabbi Nosson &herman.

13 The (In)Visible American Orthodox Jew Rabbi Yitzchok Isbee

15 Our Mandate to Create Kiddush Sheim Shamayim Rabbi Ytsroel Reisman

21 In Challenge, Opportunity Rabbi Avi Shafran

PESACH SUPPLEMENT

25 Freedom Rabbi Noach Orlowek

31 Thank You, Hashem, For The Four Sons Rabbi Yaakov Reisman

37 The Seder Anna Gottlieb

39 SECOND LoOKS ON THE JEWISH SCENE

The New Vatican-Israel Relationship: A Step Towards What?

41 The Next Challenge - Part II, A. Customer

42 One Hundred and Twenty Reasons, MaUca Millman

45 BOOKS IN REVIEW

The Yearning Soul: Essays For the Thinking Jew reviewed by Yisroel Yehuda Pollack

46 The Pinkus, Rabbi Nachum Klein

48 LE'ITERS TO THE EDITOR

51 PoEmv: An Erev Shabbos Bath, Gavriella Bachrach

port required to make an insurance claim. But no one has a thought of investigating the crime, because au­tomobile theft and simple burglary have become so routine, that they are considered mere annoyances. Such ordinary crimes do not matter any more. Marijuana does not matter any more. Most narcotics crimes do not matter any more. These things used to be "deviancy," and were classified as criminal behavior. They used to be intolerable. But what do you do if they are so common that police depart­ments cannot cope with them, courts

are overloaded to the breaking point, and society is numbed almost to the point of acceptance? The same thing you do if most of your high-school students cannot read on twelfth­grade level: You take what used to be the tenth-grade level and label it twelfth grade. And then a few years later, you do what is done in every large school district in this country: you take the eighth-grade level and call that the twelfth-grade level.

"Defining Deviancy Down" means that behavior that was unacceptable is now defined as the norm. It be-

8

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comes acceptable, not deviant. It is not criminal, it is normal.

When you live in a society that de­fines deviancy down, and you listen to that society's news, and you read its magazines and newspapers, and you do business with it, and you walk its streets, then you end up de­fining deviancy down. And you say, "The money is hejker, it is there for the taking!"

In my yeshiva-principal days, I would often give mussar to students about their sometimes rambunctious behavior in the afternoon. They would respond, "But the teachers say that they love to come here after pub­lic school, because here they don't have to worry about somebody pull­ing agun or a knife."

1 answered, "Do you realize what you're saying? You're telling me that our code of conduct is not based on what the Torah says, or the Shulchan Aruch says. Our code of conduct is based on what goes on in the worst public schools of the worst neighborhoods of this city. And if on a scale of one to ten they are at three, and we are at four and a half, then we are doing very well, because we are 50% better. But we are not doing very well. Our standard should be ten, not 4.5."

OF AVAILABILITY AND ENTITLEMENT

e prevalent attitude among many people is that because the government wastes money,

"throws it away," it is free for the tak­ing. And why not? "Whatever I get is much, much less than that of other people who are far less deserving." In the 60s, Senator Everett Dirksen quipped, "In Washington you have a couple of million here, and a couple of million there, and before you know it, you're talking about real money." That real money seems to be there for the taking, and many people are ready to take it. The availability of such funds can warp the judgment of normally honest people. Doesn't the Torah warn us of what even a small bribe can do to judges of the highest caliber?

Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky, ?·;n, once told me, "The possibility of

The Jewish Obseroer, March 1994

bringing in extra income through gov­ernment programs has caused a great deal of damage in our commu­nity. When you were in the koUeL" he said, "you were poor, and your chaveirim were poor. All of you struggled, but there was no feeling of jealousy that 'Someone else has something that I don't have, and why can't I get it? Why shouldn't I have it?' But today, with the availability of funding for qualified families, there is a temptation to become eligible, and there is jealousy of those who find ways to do it. That causes a great deal of harm."

Many years ago, the Telshe Rosh Yeshiva, RabbiElyaMeirBloch, 7"~, spoke at an alumni gathering, and instead of the usual forty-five minute shiurda' as (philosophical discourse), he pounded on the shienderand said, "Men wr nitganvenen! It is forbidden to steal!" And he sat down.

Another time, he came back from a fund-raising trip and he said in a shiur da'as that he had run out of funds and asked his host to cash his personal check. This gentleman said, "It's hard for me. I already gave to the

yeshiva." Reb Elya Meir wept as he said, "If his plumber or electrician had asked him to cash a check, would he have hesitated? But because it was a Rosh Yeshiva. he thought the check would not go through. He was afraid that I would not honor my check. Can there be a greater chillu1Hashem?"

These occurrences took place many years ago, but have attitudes changed? If not, let us not ask why they are saying those things about us.

-

We !mow why.

The Smak, one of the Ba'alei Tosafos and a

great orator, used to travel and give mussar to Jewish commu­nities. He writes, "I used to preach In Jewish communities that those who lie to gentiles and who cheat are in the category of michallelei Hashem, because their behavior causes gen­tiles to say that Jews have no reli­gion, that Jews have no Torah." The Smak was not speaking only to his own generation.

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The Jewish Observer. March 1994 9

WHY ARE WE SAYING THOSE THINGS ABOUT OURSELVES? .. I would like to pose another

question: We are worried about "Why are they saytng those things

about us?'' I would ask, "Why are ~ we saytng those things about our- ' selves?' When we hear about a fire in one of our businesses or institutions, are we dan l'chaf zechus ijudge cir­cumstances favorably), or do we smirk? What is our reaction to din To­rah in general? To the institution of beis din versus the court system?

A most serious illustration of our own rush to negative judgment is an item that has been in the news as of late: the so-called Pell Grant scandal, regarding certain schools and other institutions that were getting govern­ment money to fund supposedly in­eligible students. How many of us felt, instinctively, that the overwhelming majority of our institutions are above­board, and any wrongdoing is surely limited to a very small, fiinge minor­ity? And how many of us clucked in sweeping condemnation?

A reporter searches for tidbits that will make headlines; we all know that an editor will not run a story that says that the yeshivos are doing marvelous work. So the papers ran stories suggesting widespread fraud and chicanery.

As a case in point, a recent news­paper series, purporting to be inves-

tigative '/ reporting,

blasted the Congress, the Depart­ment of Education, and colleges and trade schools for looseness and worse in their handling of Pell Grants and student loans. Prominent targets of criticism were Jewish institutions, in­cluding some that had always been considered models of probity. These articles are further proof that the First Amendment is abused at least as much as Pell Grants.

A revealing statement not publi­cized in the media was in the official staff report of Senator Nunn's com­mittee on investigations. It said that the "rabbinical seminartes"-i.e. the

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aditional, mainstream yeshivos gedolos-are rwttargets of the Senate investigation. Nearly all of our

mosdos are members of the Asso­ciation of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS), an ac-

• ' creditation organization that is rec­ognized by the US Department of Education, and these yeshivos have

, not been accused of any wrong-doing whatsoever. Yet the newspapers kept talking about "yeshivas" as if all mosdos haTorah were one large un-~ differentiated conglomerate.

The newspapers reported that nearly two dozen "yeshivas"-again, a misapplication of the term-were deemed ineligible for federal funding. But here too, there is less than meets the eye. The problem with these schools, says the U.S. Department of Education, is that they are not "voca­tional," meaning that they do not con­fer a degree. nor do they train people for particular jobs or professions. These courses were instead charac­terized by the Department as "avocational." Whether or not the in­stitutions in question fit the definition of eligibility is a technical question of statutory interpretation that will likely be determined in a legal pro­cess. But these programs have been in existence for years. In previous years, when the schools in question filed their curricula, the Department of Education routinely approved the programs for fundingwithftill krwwl­edge of what was being taught. The "vocational-avocational" distinction never became an issue until this year.

Even if such "avocational" pro­grams are ruled ineligible, it is surely unfair to bludgeon the schools for do­ing what the government sanctioned for more than a decade.

Employtng a common reportorial technique, many stories brought to­gether a hodgepodge of abuses found nationwide in many institutions, reli­gious and secular, implytng that the institutions named in the story were guilty of them all, which was not the contention of the Senate Committee or the Department of Education. In a glaring example, one institution was named in the papers as allegedly guilty of a particular charge; later, that very school was upheld by the Department's law judge, and that par-

The Jewish Observer, March 1994

ticular charge was withdrawn. Tilis news never made it into the press.

I am in no position to judge the in­stitutions under question. But one thing is certain: Media engage in their excesses. An editor at one of Amertca's leading newspapers once told me, "A reporter for a daily will be able to ask two or three questions of a participant in a story, and that makes him more knowledgeable than his readers. But he really doesn't have the time or ability to become a real expert on a breaking story." Whatever may appear on the TV screen and emanate from the lips of sensation seekers, judgment is still premature, and therefore wrong.

This leaves us a troubling ques­tion: Why do we believe every accu­sation we read?What happened to us and our own attitudes towards our­selves? What has happened to our re­ligious obligation to judge people fa­vorably and give them the benefit of the doubt? True, there may well be rogues among us, but there are hon­est people, too.

A prominent politician tn the 80s spent two years and over $2,000,000 defending himself against a vartety of vety sertous cbru:ges. When ajwyfound him not guilty and he was mobbed by reporters asking him for comment, he said one thing: "Now, where do 1 go to get my reputation back?"

FOCUSING ON NUMBER ONE

I have no illusions about the out­come of these discussions: the Sanzer Rav,'::>"~, used to say that

when he was young he thought that he would change the world. Then he thought he would change Galicia. Then he thought that at least he would change Sanz. Then he thought he would perhaps change his Chassidim; then he thought he would change his family. He concluded, "Now I'm trying to change myself." My Rebbe, Reb Gedalia Schorr, ':>"YT, once said that a person should never ne­glect "der yochid vos ruft zich 'ich'­the individual called 'myself.' "

Indeed, let us think about our per­sonal self-improvement. We have been brought up with the attitude that in the aftermath of the Holocaust we must build and strengthen our own

The Jewish Observer, March 1994

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lective arrogance that would have us self-righteously ignore criticism. We must examine each accusation di­rected against us and see if it has any validity, however minute, and re­spond accordingly.

As the people of Hashem, our lives must proclaim the glory of Hashem to His otherwise ignorant world. How careful we must be, then, that there are no tnconsisten­cies between what we preach and what we practice, that no one potnt accustngly at flaws. For if such gaps do exist, they testify to our failure in our vital mission of proclalmlng the honor of Hashem Rabbi Scherman has discussed this extensively (see previous article). I would like to fo­cus on one specific area.

In Vayeitzei, the Torah tells us of the debate between Yaakov and Lavan that centered on Yaakov's honesty and his dedication in car­ing for Lava.n's sheep. Yaakov's so­journ with Lavan represents his stay in golus. Now, as he prepares to re-enter Eretz Yisroel, he is re­quired to give a fiscal accounting, to prove that his mid.das ha'emes is in-

tact, unt.ainted by twenty years spent with the devious Lavan. Lavan searches through Yaakov's belong­ings and those of his wives and chil­dren. Almost unbelievably, Lavan finds nothing-not a shoestring or a hairpin-that could be traced to his home. Such was the chinuch of Yaakov's house and such was his em­phasis on honesty that. even from the house of a grandfather, his young children took nothing. Yaakov could stand tall in the awareness that he emerged from his long golus in the house of Lavan, unscathed, with his middas ha'emes untainted.2

Kial Yisroe~ too, as it prepares to leave its long arduous golus, must examtne its middas ha'emes. Often, during times of oppression, we have resorted to underhanded methods just to survive. Before experienctng our ge'ula, we must evaluate whether the shekker to which we have been exposed and which, on occasion, we have been forced to adopt, has be­come part of our psyche. Has the middas ha'emes, so vital to our re-2nus interpretation was heard from Rabbi Moshe Eisenmann. member of the faculty ofYeshivas Ner YiSroel. Baltimore.

pn~~ n1i':itn n'm

demption, become tarnished? If we can overlook small or even large acts of fiscal Impropriety, how far we have strayed from the path of our father, Yaakov. And if, tndeed, we embrace deceit, condone it and defend it, and then reassure ourselves saytng, 'This is bustness," or "Everyone does it," how sadly tarnished has that glisten­tng core of truth become!

The Gemora tells of the students of Rabbi Shimon ben Shotach who purchased a donkey for him with which to earn a livelihood. Upon dis· covering a precious jewel hanging on its neck, Rabbi Shimon ben Shotach insisted on returning it to its owner. To his students' query that the halacha might not require this, Rav Shimon replied, "Have I suddenly be­come desirous of wealth? Far more would I prefer that the Name of Heaven be sanctified through me, that people will say, 'Blessed is the G-d of Shimon ben Shotach.' "

With preciseness tn our actions and aspiration to do the will of Hashem may we each be thetnstrumentof true glorification of His name, as "they" will say, "Blessed is the G-d ofYisroel." •

RABBI YITZCHOK KIRZNER 7"~ His Legacy Lives On ...

14

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The Jewish Observer, March 1994

"WHY ARE THEY SAYING THOSE THINGS Aeour Us?" Rabbi Yisroel Reisman

A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

S hlomo Hamelech provides an insight regarding human rela­

tions: "Al kol pesha'im techaseh ahavd'-all inequi­ties can be overcome by love, whereby nagging faults be­come viewed as inconve­niences of life. Where there is no love and caring, however, even minor faults become major problems. And worse. when there is animosity and hatred. faults are sought out. they are amplified and enlarged. until they be­come major problems which take over a relationship.

As this is true in relationships be­tween individuals. so is it true regard­ing relationships between peoples. And certainly. this is the most telling factor regarding the relationship of Yisroel bein haUmos. the Jews among the nations. Yes. the nations com­plaln about us: they always

Rabbi Yisroel Reisman. Rau of Agudath Israel of Madison (a com­munity in Brooklyn, NY). and a popular lecturer, is a member of the Kollel of Mesivta Torah Vodaath, and frequent contrtbutor to these flll' pages. most recenUywith "Mystery of the Missing Years," (,Jan. '94). This article is based on a presentation at the recent naUonal convention of Agudath Israel of America.

The Jewish Observer, March 1994

A Private Matter -

/ Ever since tf1e second grade,

drome. This aflliction occurs when an individual hears certain stereotypes regarding Orthodox Jews. He can meet a hundred Orthodox Jews over a peliod of five years who do not fit that stereotype, but when he meets number 101. the negative model. he glee­fully exclaims, "Aha! That's an Orthodox Jewl ..

We certainly realize that some criticisms are correct, but let us not lose focus of the whole picture. Indeed. we have much to be proud of.

At the national conventions of Agudath Israel of Amelica, as well as at vartous inspirational gathelings. we have the privilege of hearing Gedolei Torah implore us to rectify our shortcomings. I cannot help but think: "What a wonderful people we are! In a society where elementary school children are taught birth con-

our Reh6e'im have im11ressed 011 us that our behavior is constantly 6eing ;udged 6y those around us, and that our mission is lo see to

trol, we agonize over the proper length of hemlines and the cor­

rect height of a mechitza In a society steeped in

vulgarisms and pro­fanity. our problems

involve talking in shuland lashon hara. In a society

that suffers from devi­,_, ant excesses, we study the finite laws of tzenius. In

a society where 60% of ten-

it she'yeliei sheim Shamayim misahev al

yadeclia-t{1at our behavior should cause

others to admire our dedication to moral

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drugs, we criticize lax kaslvus super­vision. In a society steeped In greed and avarice, we have Tomchei Shab­bos, Bikur Cholim and the selfless volunteers of Hatzalah. Today. more than ever before, we should hold our heads high and proclaim, Mi k' wncha Yisroe~ goy echad ba'aretz-Where In the world is there a people like Kial Yisroer?

CATCHING THE DISEASE

T:e secular world, however, does not quite see it this way. They do not compliment our

community for our accomplish­ments. They choose to highlight our shortcomings. And it hurts. Ever since the second grade, our Rebbe'im have impressed on us that our behav­ior is constantly being judged by those around us, and that our mis­sion is to see to It she'yehei sheim Shamayim misahev al yadecha--that our behavior should cause others to admire our dedication to moral val­ues and proper conduct. We call this Kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Name of Heaven, and we are taught that this is one of the most important obligations that we carry.

But carrying this obligation is fius­trating indeed. We follow the rules, but the gentiles never seem to admire us. In fact, they deride us whenever they spot an opportunity. And yes, it hurts.

Unfortunately, in responding to this disappointment. too many of us begin to show symptoms of The Smelly Jew Syndrome. Those of us who might dress In a more modern fashion start to criticize those who still wear European shietlgarb. Those of us who are articulate In English are tempted to criticize those who still speak with the "old-fashioned" ac­cents. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have been taught proper etiquette, respond harshly to those who have not.

All too often, when non-Jews criti­cize us, many of us-precisely be­cause we are a people of conscience­tend to jump on the bandwagon and join the chorus of abuse. It is bad enough that we must suffer as vic­tims of The Smelly Jew Syndrome; It would be terrible, however, If we caught that disease.

The Jewish Observer. March 1994

PROJECTING KIDDVSHHASHEM.

W atexactlyistheobligation f Kiddush Hashem? Is it

prtmartly a matter of inspir­ing admiration from the gentiles?

In the third volume of Michtav M'Eliyahu, Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, ':>":it, explores "Kiddush Hashem-Ha'emiti Vehameduma (Genuine and Imaginruy)." The essay quotes Rabbi Yisroel Salanter. ':>":It. as defining Kiddush Hashem in a man­ner quite different from that which we were taught in elementruy school: KiddushHashemdoes not necessar­ily involve the presence or observa­tion of gentiles. nor even of other Jews. It does not require that one's actions be admired by others. In fact. ' true Kiddush Hashem often takes place in prtvate. when one is alone. This is because Kiddush Hashem oc­curs whenever a person acknowl­edges that the Ribbono Shel Olam is in his presence, wherever he might be-whether he is home alone or out among people.

When a person is home eating breakfast with an open sefer on his table, he has created a Kiddush Hashem Nobody has seen him; no one is praising him.

Conversely. chillul Hashem occurs when one fails to sense the presence of Hashem in his life. The Hebrew word chillul is related to challal-a vacuum. One who lives tn a spirttual vacuum, one who does not sense that the Creator is nearby ... such a person lives a life of chillulHashem, regardless of whether his secular neighbors criti­cize him for it. or admire him for it.

The Gemora(Sota36b) tells us that Yoseif Hatzaddlk was rewarded for sanctifying the Name of Hashem The Gemora questions, "Mai Yoseij?"­where did Yoseif sanctify the Name of Heaven? The response is that this took place during the incident of Yoseif and the wife of Potiphar, when Yoseif was tempted to sin, but re­frained from so doing at the last mo­ment. Yoseif Hatzaddtk sensed his accountability to the Ribbono Shel Olam as a member of Yaakov Avinu's family-one of the Shivtei Kah (Holy Trtbes)-and therefore resisted the temptation to sin. This is Kiddush Hashem

The Jewish Observer, March 1994

Anyone fami!Jar with the incident of Yoseif and Potiphar"s wife knows that this incident did not endear Yoseif to his gentile hosts. In fact. the Egyptians-totally unaware of Yoseifs innocence-viewed his be­havior as scandalous. and had him imprtsoned. Clearly. the Gemords ex­planation of Kiddush Hashem sup­ports the explanation of Rav Yisroel Salanter.

Rambam(Hilchos YesodeiHatorah 5, IO). in codifying this Gemora, wrttes:

Anyone wlw turns away from sin or peifonns amitzva.for no [ulterior] motive in the world. not because his is fright-

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ened or jeru:JW. or because he hopes to be respected, but only because of [the will oj] the Creator. as when Yoseif re­strained himself from his master's wife, this is one wlw sanctifies the Name.

SANCTIFYING WHOSE NAME?

y is it, then, that the popu­ar tnterpretation of Kiddush as hem requires that the be­

havior of a Jew be admired by the secular world?

Michtcw M Eliyahu explains this as well. Every human being wants to be liked by others. A Jew who desires to be admired by non-Jews can be

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driven by two different fac­tors: by a desire to sanc­tify the Name of Heaven. or by his own innate, per­sonal desire to be liked. All too often our wires get crossed and we fail to distin­guish between the two.

Take, as an example. the Or­thodox Jew who travels away from home on a business trtp. If. when among gentiles, he acts as they do, dresses as they do, talks as they do and eats as they do, he may find that they accept him wannly. But this does not necessarily qualify as Kiddush Hashem. And if he steps over the limits of halacha, and dis­cusses what he is prohibited from discussing, eats what he is prohibited from eating, or goes where he is not permitted to go, that constitutes chillul Hashem His gentile compan­ions may truly appreciate him for his conduct, but this is a "beautification" of his own person, not a sanctification of our Creator. His companions may admire his personality, but G-d has been left out of the relationship.

When we live our lives in the man-

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"/ nerpre-scribed by the Torah, those gentiles who are seeking spirttuality will in­deed admire us. Sheirn Shamayirn [yihiyeh] misaheiv al yadeinu-the Name of our Creator will indeed be admtred by those who examine us in their pursuit of ethical behavior and G-dliness.

Sadly. in our day and age, the secularists who seek to find spirttu­ality in the Jewish People are few and far between. When they do look at us, it is through lenses that operate by to­tally different crtterta. Our loyalty to ancient values and to an unchanging G-d is strange to their sensibilities. Even when they are not burdened by prejudice and hatred, they cannot

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We have many true Mekadshei Sheirn Shamayirn among us, and we should be proud of them. On the other hand, we cannot ignore the sto­ries of dishonesty or rudeness in our midst. G-d forbid! But we must re­spond to these stories in a manner that deals foremost with our relation­ship with Hashem, rather than with our neighbor's response.

IN THE PRESENCE OF ... RAV MOSHE, ?"lit

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mruy concern should be with devel­oping a stronger sense of the pres­ence of the Ribbono Shel Olam tn our homes. If we were to succeed tn this, we would subsequently find Him ac­companying us when we step out­side, as well. This point can be made clear with a mashal drawn from my own experience:

As an American boy, I enjoy getttng behtnd the wheel of a car. Once there, my aggressive, hurried style often gets the better of me, and puts me in a position where my actions may, G-d forbid, cause unpleasant things to be said about Orthodox Jews. I don't condone this, and I accept criticism of my behavior, which my wife is of­ten kind enough to provide.

In my beis hamidrash days. I had the zechus of attending Rabbi Moshe Feinstetn's Friday shiurim at Mesifta Tiferes Yerushalayim, for almost two years. Very often, my chaveirim and I had the opportunity to drive Reb Moshe from the yeshiva to his home on FDR Drive. I can assure you that when Reb Moshe was tn the car, my wife would have loved my driving. There was no danger of chillul Hashem

Why? Because Reb Moshe was looking.

Ask yourselves: How would you drive ifReb Moshe were looking? How would you talk to others lfReb Moshe were listentng? How would you con­duct your business affairs if Reb Moshe were In the office?

We must learn to take this a step further and ask ourselves: How do we drive when the Ribbono Shel Olam is looking? How do we talk when He is listening? How do we conduct our business dealings with Him in the office?

As you can see, the problem In not that we must worry about the gentiles who are watchtng. We would be far better off worrytng about our Creator watching. The problem of chillul Hashem is not that the gentile is spit­ting at us; he's been collecting saliva for a longtime, waiting for the oppor­tunity to find fault. The core of our problem is in our relationship with Hashem that we do not always sense His presence as we should. If we were to succeed tn being aware of His pres­ence. we would avoid chillul Hashem

The Jewish Observer. March 1994

without once wondertng, "But what are they saytng about us?"

ON AIUGHER LEVEL

this as a starting point in Kiddush Hashem. In truth, this is a higher level of Kiddush Hashem, which should come as a consequence of one's being aware that he stands tn the presence of the Ribbono Shel Diam

To quote MichtaV M'Eliyahu: roiddush Hashem by its most ommon interpretation. oc­urs when a gentile admires

the moral and ethical behavior of an Orthodox Jew. Does this fit tnto our explanation of Kiddush H asherrt?

Michtav M'Eliyahu explains that it does. Most of us might understand

7he basic Kiddush Hashem is to cor­rect the chillul Hashem within ourselves (bybeingcognizonto}Hashem'sconstant presence). Only after this, can a person rise to the level of sanct!fi.Jing the Name of

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~ / --A Jew w(w desires to 6e ad111ired 6y non-Jews can 6e driven 6y two

different factors: 6y a desire to sanctify t(1e Na111e of Heaven, or hy (1is own

innate, personal desire to 6e lilied. All too often our wires get crossed and we fail to

distin911isf1 6etween t(1e two. THE Heaven in pub­

lic, in the proper, pure manner; prima-

/ "K'GOAN ANNKRULE -rily ID glorify G-d in the ~ _-

presence of(at least) ten " Wien I told a friend that I other Jews .... An individual who is on a ould address the topic of still higher level isonetnwhomthehonor "Why Are They Saying ofHeavenissogreat, thathestriveswith Those Things About Us?", he pre-all his might and all his resources to sane- sented me with a long list of problems tify the Name of Heaven among the other besetting the Orthodox Jewish com-peoples of the world. So great is his love munity, which he suggested I attack. for G-d that he wishes that He be recog- I pointedoutthatnotoneoftheprob-nizedbyallhumanfty .... " !ems that he considered of para-

lbis is our challenge: to raise our mount importance to our community level of awareness and responsibility was a fault of which he was person-so that our every action give a sense ally guilty. Weren't there other prob-of G-dliness to our surroundings. !ems, applicable to him, which also When we do so, we impart an aura of belonged on the list? holiness to our own homes and we I am afraid that this friend suffers, can then seek to exiend that glow to to a degree, from The Smelly Jew Syn-our fellow Jews, and, ultimately, to drome. He hears negative things gentiles as well. about Orthodox Jews, and feels that

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he has to agree with some of the ste­reotypes. His motivation is notto rec­tify the problem; it is purely to assess the blame. In seeking a guilty party, he naturally looks elsewhere. Finding the faults of others is hardly the method of combating the problem of chillul Hashem

A discussion of chil!ul Hashem must seek to resolve the problem. Criticizing others for being different, even where faults truly exist, does not remedy the situation. People enjoy finding fault in others. I doubt that this causes anyone to become a bet-

terperson. The Gemora(Yuma86a) discusses

the concept of Kiddush Hashem and the obligation of She'yehei sheim Shamayim misaheval yadecha-that the Name of Heaven be praised be­cause of us. What was the response of our greatest Amora'im to this les­son?

The Gemora tells us that Rav re­sponded with the statement, "K'goan Anna ... For someone like me (whom the community holds to the highest standards of conduct) purchastng meat on credit is an is­sue of chittul Hashem (because people may suspect that I hope to avoid paying)." Rebbe Yochanan said, "K'goanAnna. .. -For someone like me ... ," and he too outlined the parameters for proper behavior that pertained to himself. The response of these people was "K'goan Anna .. .," this is what I have to do. Their response to the problems of chiUul Hashem was not to find the faults of others, nor was it to ana­lyze the critique of the gentile world around them.

We should reject the feeling that the problem of chiUul Hashem is the problem of "What are they saying about us?" We must see it as a prob­lem of our failure to sense that Hashem is there with us at all times. lfwe can begin senstng the presence of the Ribbono Shel Olam among us, our everyday conduct will improve. The secular world will not start loving us for it, but we will be living a life of Kiddush Hashem. And those who seek spirituality, who· seek morals and values, will indeed find it tn Kial YisroeL The Name of Heaven will tn­deed be loved because of us. •

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The Jewish Obseroer. March 1994

In

... BECAUSE WE LET THEM GET AWAYWITHIT

W hy are they saying those things about us? The rea­sons are many, and. ac­

cordingly. our responses should be diverse. But one thing is for certain: our own imperfections and even out­Iight lapses can account for only the tiniest portion-if that--{)f the fictions circulated about us.

I wish I had a dollar for eveiy time I have heard or read that "Orthodox Jews don't consider the non-Ortho­dox to be Jewish," or that we Chareidi Jews "support the Palestinians"; that we "oppose service in the Israel De­fense Forces," or "look down upon women." Another dollar for each time a more subtle (and hence more dan­gerous) untruth was expressed or in­sinuated, and I'd retire forthwith to a large villa in Natanya.

We need to face the fact squarely: we do actually have enemies, internal as well as external, enemies who do not hesitate for a moment to use the

Rabbi Shafran. menahel of Mesivta D'Provtdence Boys' High School, in Rhode Island, is a published author and frequent contr1butor to these pages. His most recent book is Migrant Soul (Targum Press).

The Jewish Observer. March 1994

art of propaganda to cast us in as un­favorable a light as possible.

So, what are we to do about it? The single most important thing. of

course, is to redouble our efforts to live the lives of dedicated Torah Jews in eveiyrealm and eveiyway. For our greatest influence, on both ourfellow Jews and on the rest of humanity, in the end. dertves from what we are, what we do and what we don't.

But being all that we can Jewishly be still cannot absolve us from also doing whatever we can to counter the misinformation propagated by those whose best interests are served by our denigration.

Which brtngs us to the auxiliaiy answer to the question of "Why they are saying those things about us?": Because we too often let them get away with it.

EXTENDING THE BOUNDARIES OF POLITICAL INCORRECTNESS

0 ne of the few "bashings" that has not yet made the list of political incorrectness is "Or­

thodox bashing.·· The sort of negative stereotyping that, were it applied to Jews as a whole, would bring the A.D.L. barreling in, brandishing

wrtts, is almost commonplace in the Jewish press regarding the "Ultra­Orthodox" (a pejorative epithet itself, incidentally, if ever there was one). The time is Iipe for us to make a more effective, concerted effort to stop Or­thodox bashing, wherever it raises its bare, brazen head. Thewisdom of re­sponding to misinformation and mis­conception would seem to be self-evi­dent. The surest means of countertng lies, after all, is obviously with truth.

There are immediately compelling reasons, too, to use every means pos­sible, including the power of the press, to set the record straight, both on issues that reflect on Jews in gen­eral and those that reflect on Torah Jews in particular. Firstly, while Jews are not missionaries, a least not in the sense the word has taken on in the vernacular, we most definitely do have a mission, and part of it ulti­mately involves making humanity aware of the Divine. And while we most meaningfully and essentially fulfill that mission through our ex­ample, as a "kingdom of Kohanim" and a "light unto the nations," when Jews or Judaism are presented by modem Eisavs or their allies to the larger world as something they are not, shouldn't those of us with a

21

or she, though, has been-and is-a sitting duck for the propaganda as­saults of those who do. If we do not do everything we can to carefully counter attacks on Torah and its ad­herents, to correct the misinforma­tion and rebuff the insinuations, than we have, chas v' shalom, effectively conceded the mindset of the average American Jew to the enemy.

Most of us know ba' a1ei teshuva. men and women who came to jrwnkeit drawn by the twin engines

of idealism and determination. For every erstwhile Conservative, Re­form or unaffiliated Jew who man­aged to make his or her way back to our heritage despite all the bad press we receive, there are likely several temples-ful who might conceivably do the same if they were only pre­sented with a more balanced picture of the modem J ewlsh religious equa­tion. And if we don't provide the nec­essary counterweight to all the ca-

nards about Chareidim, "Ultra-Orthodox" and

"zealots," who do we expect will?

-LET'S CLARIFY THE ISSUES

S o very many is-sues beg for some response,

some balance, some light. Whether the concern is a general so­

cietal issue about wWch the true Jew­ish attitude has been distorted-such as abortion-on-demand, legal protec­tion of immoral lifestyles, crime and punishment, euthanasia, or censor­ship-or a narrower, more parochial one-say, internal Israeli politics, American-Jewish "pluralism," con­version mills, or government aid to religious institutions-we have a re­sponsibility not only to make our po­sitions clear, but to do so proudly and publicly.

I can testify from personal experi­ence, having written an occasional

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22 TheJewishObseroer. March 1994

op-ed colurrm for a general-interest daily newspaper for some time, that the non.Jewish world has a veiy lim­ited and often distorted idea of what the true Jewish attitude is toward myriad concerns. And many In that world are pleasantly surprised when brought to realize that some Jews­and the "most Jewish" ones too, as they see us, those most visibly com­mitted to what Judaism has always been-do not generally subscribe to the louder and more visible Jewish "establishment's" party line. I have found that many non-Jews come away with not only a newfound re­spect for Judaism but, more impor­tant, with a newfound understanding of our tradition. That result may not necessarily be a main priority of ours, but it certainly can't hurt.

And the Jews-our fellow Jews­who are out there being pummeled everywhere with images that make jrumme Yidden seem, at best, like anachronistic Amish, and at worst like mindless fundamentalists, don't they deserve better? Doesn't our ob­ligation to be mekarev reclwkim re­quire us to provide them with an ac­curate picture of our heritage-their heritage?

AMONG THE OFFERINGS

Afunsolicited national Jewish eriodical recently landed on y desk, pushed there (as,

presumably, to countless other desks) by its aggressive publisher. Its glossy cover should have been warn­ing enough; it showed a well-groomed woman pointing a yad at a sefer To­rah, smiling wisely, bedecked In tallis and tefillin (Tzidduki-style, just above her eyebrows). A glance Inside con­firmed my expectations. Among the offerings:

1. An article on the "Year of the Agunah," asserting, among other surprising revelations, that "few of these [Orthodox] rabbis ... are Inclined to stand up for a woman against her husband," and demanding that rab­binic leaders "address the veiy basic anti-Woman, anti-family [sic!] Jewish divorce laws."

2. A piece lamenting the lack of Or­thodox "outreach" to intermarried

The Jewish Observer. March 1994

couples, with the goal of convincing the non-Jewish partner to "follow the path of Ruth to conversion." The author asserts that "we have a won­derful product to sell [to the world]-Vudaism."

halachahas "always been responsive to special-Interest groups."

3. An "Orthodox" feminist's demand for the ordination of Orthodox women rabbis. The writer argues that young Jewish women presently lack for ad­equate "role models"; that the tradi­tional role of observant women must change radically "because of the jus­tice of it all," and that, in any event,

The thousands of Innocently igno­rant Jews who have read that maga­zine have imbibed slow-acting spiri­tual poison. They have been fed gfm­eral outrageousness and propaganda about Torah-Judaism not a whit less heinous than that of the Holocaust re­visionists. (Is there, perhaps, even a midda k'neged middaln the prolifera­tion of the latter?) Will we offer an an­tidote? The patient, after all, is our pa­tient. The placement of accurate Infor­mation in the press, moreover, is not

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only helpful for its power to dispel the false; it is helpful in and of itself. For the very fact of an intelligent Orthodox response to all the badmouthing en­nobles us in the eyes of others. It is all too easy to construe the reticence of a negatively portrayed group as a weak­ness of sorts, an admission of guilt; a cogent and clear reaction serves at the very least to make an uninformed reader or listener aware that there is a coherence to the position of the ac­cused. And, if that reader or listener is truly open-minded, the response might well go further still.

~ \ 199 Rt. 59(WaldPaVllion)Monsey, NY 1m'12

24

AN ORTHODOX PUBLICATION SYNDICATE

..

N o less than electronic or communications technology, public relations-of the infor­

mative, not obfuscatory, sort-is a tool that the frum world can and should effectively harness. While it,,. -' would be irresponsible to endorse the wholesale reading of general-circula­tion newspapers, or of many "Jewish" periodicals, when something objec­tionable in one or another of them does come to our attention, we might

greatly benefit from seeing it not sim­ply as a burden to be borne, but as an opportunity to communicate with considerably larger numbers of Jews than usually listen to us. Inestimable good has been accomplished by things as simple as letters to the edi­tor and articles in Jewish and gen­eral-circulation newspapers.

What might well be the most effi­cient, appropriate and prudent ap­proach is the establishment of a To­rah-true "publication syndicate" that could serve as a sort of central inf or -mation bureau, fielding requests from Torah"'1ews across the country and around the world to respond to mischaracterizations in the press, or simply to address issues of import to the Jewish community, from a Torah perspective. Petitioners could be sent either unembellished information, guidelines for formulating their own letters or articles, standard policy­pieces on particular isSues, or new, custom-written essays. What would result, hopefully, would be correc­tions of misinformation about "Or­thodoxy" on a mass scale, a procla­mation of Torah-true attitudes that could touch thousands of hearts and minds.

It might not make those who truly resent us like us any better, but it just might make them think twice before saying those things. •

The Jewish Observer, March 1994

We refer to Pesach as "z'man cheiroselnu, the time of our freedom." By studying the

lessons implicit in Pesach, we can discovertheTorah's definition of free­d om and learn how to achieve it. Thls is a vital issue, for if we do not formu­late for ourselves the meaning of free­dom, why we cherish it, determine how we will utilize it, and communi­cate this to our children, then some­one else will do it-with quite a dtlfer­ent message. In today's permissive, hedonistic society, there is a good chance that an alternative approach to freedom could bring ruination to our children.

On the other hand, if our children have a clear idea of what freedom truly is, then they will be able to re­sist the seductive pleasures offered by the "free" society surrounding them. Our children will know that

Rabbi Orlowek. who serves as Mashgiach in sev­erdl yeshivas in Jerusalem, i» author of two re­centfy published books on c/linuch <llld discipline. My Child, My Disciple. and My Disciple, My Child (FeldheimJ.

The Jewish Observer, March 1994

RabbiNooch Orlowek

:;t:<'

/JAeJ:fts olZ'ma'lt,fhJiruseinu fu~irTorah-centeredlifeisfJ.sweeter stricted; our very life f~rce can be than any'~Jf-cente;-ed "fun" ..Ortentect;. ···taken from us, but no one can take life can ~r hope to be, We cannot at- my mind from me. Actually, nothing tack values of a decadent society and is truly mine unless it is intrinsic to hope to st!cceed, unless we offer our me. This is why the Mishna (Auos 4: I) children and help them experience says that wealth, wisdom. and the divine feeling of being truly free. strength are explained in terms of at -

WHO IS TRULY FREE?

Chazal (the Rabbis of the Tal­mud) were very explicit about whom they considered to be

free. ~Nooneisfreeexcepttheperson who labors in Torah" (Avos 6:2). Ifwe trµly understand this statement. then we have taken a giant step to­ward understanding what the basic elements of freedom are.

The Maharal' tells us that a hu­man being is essentially a composite of three things: Soul, Life Force, and Body (including material posses­sions). The Torah, the Maharal says, is the perfection of tntellect. It is only in the mind that we can by truly free. Our bodily movements can be re-

1 Derech Chayim 6:2. 4:4: Nesivos Ola1n. Nesiv J-falorah, Ch. 9; Chiddushei Aggados. Babba Kmmna. See also the Ran1ban1's Comn1entary to Avos for a development of this then1e.

titudes of the mind (wealth is defined as satisfaction with one's lot; wisdom, as a love of learning; strength in terms of inner control. etc.) for any quantitative definition (treasures, or amount ofknowledge. or physical prowess) relates to where you are, not whoyou are (Maharal, ad loc). This is what Chazal meant when they said that King Solomon, after he had lost his kingdom, was "king over his cane" (Sanhedrin 20b). This means to say that even when all he had was a cane, people could still tell that he was a king, for his royalty was tntrinsic, and not related to whether or not he had subjects. (Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe. N"'\7'7\i!, relates that he was in Sweden when the King of Denmark fled to Sweden during the Nazi invasion of his country. The King of Sweden went to the railroad station to greet the royal fugitive. Rabbi Wolbe was present, tn order to recite the bless-

25

ing one makes when seeing royalty (see Beraclws 19b). He was disap­pointed though, for instead of seeing two monarchs he saw only two old men. They were not intrinsically kings-merely rulers of men.)

The concept that my mind is mine and all that it harbors within is totally mine, has an interesting ramification. No one can take away from me my perception of a situation. The atti­tudes that I form in my mind-how I view the situation in which G-d has placed me, how I choose to react to those around me-these are totally

up to me. Some people are embittered and unfulfilled in what others would have considered the most enviable circumstances. On the other hand, others became close to Hashem un­der-and because of-the most un­bearable situations. Rabbi Yltzchok Chaiken, <;··:ii, who headed the Ye­shiva Chachme Tzorfas in Aix-les­Bains, France, foroverhalf acentury, spent the World War II years as a cap­tive of the Germans. He later de­scribed those years, when he was separated from family, friends, and above all, students, as years of su-

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preme happiness, for he felt a close­ness to the Ribbono Shel Olam such as he had never before experienced. The absence of all that he had held dear brought him closer to Hashem; there were no other concrete bonds that could distract him from this most supreme of all relationships.

The person who has sufficient control over his mind to be able to assess his situation without the dis­tortions and misconceptions that sometimes creep in-that is, he has a clear picture of reality-such a per­son is truly free.

CONTROUJNGTHEMIND

R abbi Mordechai Dolinsky, N",,,.,,., (Mashgiach of Yeshiva Torah Ore, Yerushalayim),

once described the decoration of the Menora, which represents Torah in­tellect in the Mikdash, as reflective of the various capacities of the mind. 2

The Menora had three types of deco­rations, Reb Mordechai explained, and each type paralleled one of the mind's wondrous capacities: l, The Flower-the mind can create beautiful, novel ideas. 2, The Cup-the mind is capable of retaining information. 3, The Knob-the mind is able to be self-contained-that is, to concen­trate and deliberate upon what it has already learned.

This last ability-that gymbolized by the knob-specifically relates to our subject. When the mind is bom­barded by all sorts of information that it perceives as inimlcal to its welfare, it can turn inward, excluding that which seeks to invade it.

I was present when Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe was asked by a group of stw:ients how to avoid being tainted by the sights and sounds of the less-than-modest modem street. He advised them to de­velop the ability to think about whatever they wanted, which automatically slwts out invasive stimulL It is the brain that hears and sees, with the ears and eyes merely transmitting the sensory infor­mntion to the brain. Tiie mind can reject

2 See BabbaBasra (25b}, where Ghazal tell us that one should face slightly southward when praying for wisdom (southeast when daveningfrom west of Jerusalem). sinee the Merwra was located in the southern part of the Bets Hamikdash.

The Jewish Observer. March 1994

unwanted input by being involved with more productive thoughts. Rabbi Wolbe added that this ts what is meant by the Chazal /Gittin 62a) that Torah Sages are called kings, for they are indeed rulers; rnlers over their own minds.

Mort VeRabbi, Rabbi Simcha Was­serman, , .. Yr, commented that if the era ojMoshiach were to be merely a time of leading a happy life, then wailing for Moshiach would not be a cardinal prin­ciple of Judaism. It is because Moshiach's time willbeoneofacorrect life (and hence a happy one), that we continually hope for his arriVaL

This would seem to be one reason why Chazal use the word "She'­oseik-who is occupied" to describe Torah study. For it is not the actual Torah Wisdom that protects the mind from undesirable influences; it is the ability to think and be engaged in To­rah thoughts that achieves this.

It follows that freedom lies in being able, on one hand, to control the in­flux of ideas that could distort my ability to think clearly, and on the other hand. to attain the objectivity to view the world as it really is: the do­main of a benevolent Father who pro­tects us, and whose directives for liv­ing are the only means of attaining true happiness.

LIVlNG BY THE ILLUMINATION OF TORAH UGHT

M: ri VeRabb~ Rabbi Simcha Wasserman, once explained that Torah is compared to

light because it gives you a panoramic glimpse of how the Creator views the world. Not only does Torah allow you to control your mind, it gives it direc­tion, and truly sets you free. Freedom is valuable only to the degree that you are capable of controlling and direct­ing that freedom in a positive direc­tion. 'Then you are free. Torah not only sets you free, it enables you to live cor­rectly, for free men are fearless men.

Being free does not refer to being able to do whatever one pleases. It re­fers to the ability to live correctly and Without fear. When my actions are controlled by others because I fear them more than I fear Hashem, then I cannot be truly free. Freedom from fear of man is at the heart of Pesa ch' s message of freedom. When I know that

The Jewish Observer. March 1994

Hashem is tn total control of His Cre­ation, then that knowledge frees me.

HASHGACHAPRATrISAND FREEDOMACIDEVED

H ashem's constant and total control and interest in His Creation are known as

HashgachaPrattis. Our awareness of this Divine involvement contrasts With the assumption of the nations of old, for whom "Hashem is high over the nations, His Glory is above the Heavens." As for us, we say "[al­though] He indeed sits on high, [He still] observes this Lower World of ours. [And not only does he observe, He intervenes-in the most spectacu­lar and benevolent way.] He raises the poor from the dust and the impover­ished from the garbage heap to seat them With princes, the princes of His Nation."3

On Pesach, we were shown how

3 Tehillim l 13, 4-9. See Nefesh HaChayim. Sha'ar Gimmel(3rd Gate), Ch. 9.

complete Hasherris control over His Creation is. As a result, we are free to live correctly, for we need fear no one but Hashem. 4

We now have a working definition of freedom: The ability to live cor­rectly, and hence, happily, because Hashem Is In control. and people need not fear human beings. When Chazal tell us that the JeWish people exclaimed on the night of the Exodus that we were now servants of Hashem and not servants of Pharoah5 , this was a statement of what freedom is: the ability to serve Hashem

As we recite the beracha "asher

4 See Midrash Tanchuma, Beshalach 9, and Sherrws Rabba21. See Ma'archei. Lev, vol. 2 pp. 160-162, by Rabbi Moshe Schwab, ?n::tt, Mashgiachofthe Gateshead Yeshiva. 5 YerushalmiPesachim.5:5. Pharoah's exclamation that the Jewish Nation were no longer his servants, but rather servants of Hashem, reverberated throughout Egypt, whereupon the Jews exulted (Tehillim 123), MPraise, servants of Hashem land not servants of Pharoahj .... ~ The Kuzari. at the end of the fifth ma'amar, explains that this is the source of our desire to live in Eretz Y!sroel, in order to fulfill the additional mitzvos that are unique to the Land.

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If we do not formulate for ourselves the meaning of freedom, why we cherish it, determine how we will utilize it, and communicate this to our children, then someone else will do it-with quite a different message. In today's permissive, hedonistic society, there is a good chance that an alternative approach to freedom could bring ruination to our children.

28

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go'alonu" at the Seder, we should stress the phrase conveying that we were redeemed "to eat matza and marror"-to serve Hashem6 . We then can use our minds to view life cor­rectly, where happiness is not defined in terms of "entertainment," as a means of escaping a less-than-happy reality, and "meaning" is not an empty phrase.

Much of our ability to transmit this concept to our children is dependent upon how our children view us, and, by extension, what we stand for. Be­tng "different" can either be a badge of shame or a source of pride. (The Green Berets in the U.S. or GolanJ units in the Israeli army do not walk around shamefacedly because they wear distinctively different uniforms.) When you tell your children (in an ef­fort to ward off the influence of the dominant culture) that "We don't do things like that around here," the "around here" had better be a place your child is proud of and likes to be.

A mother, living in the States, told me that the most heartening compli­ment she was ever paid was when her cleaning lady said to her, "Mrs .. ., when I enteryour house, I feel like I'm coming into a different country!"

May we, who are blessed to live in a land where we are free to be free, be able to transmit to our children what freedom truly means. •

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The Jewish Observer. March 1994

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Thank You/ Hashem/ for the four Sons

"Vehigad'ta Levincha-You Shall Relate the Story of the Exodus to Your Son": AMifzva With

Various Levels Of Application

''Baruch Hamakom baruch Hu ... -Blessed is G-d ... The Torah speaks in regard to

four sons." As a prelude to the read­ing of the Haggada, tn fulfillment of the mitzva of "Vehigad'ta levinchac­you shall relate [the story of the Exo­dus] to your son," we praise Hashem for the four types of children that are alluded to tn the Torah.

No other mitzvaofthe Sedernight is tntroduced with similar words of praise. For example, we are required to say" Pesach. matza, u'marror' and their respective messages, yet we do not introduce this recitation With "Baruch Hamakom ... the Torah speaks in regard to three mitzvos ... :·

What is distinctive about the mitzva of Vehigad'td?

The Torah spells out pre­cise directives for the perfor­

mance of each mitzva. These

As a prefude to the readins of the Hassada, in

fi,{fiffment of the mitzva of"Vehisadta fevincha-you

1 shaff ref<lfe [the story of the Exodus] to your son," we

praise Ha.<hem for the four types of chifdren that are

affuded to in the Torah. No other mitzva of the Seder

nisht is introduced with simdar words of praise.

The Jewish Observer, March 1994

Rabbi Yaakov ReislJlall, Rav of Agudath Israel of Long Island and a Rebbein Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, NY, was represented in these pages by "School and Home: Partners or Adversar­ies?" (May '88) and "The Making of an Educated KasflJUS Consumer~ (Apr. '93).

shiurim (prescribed sizes, time frames, etc.) do not change, regard­less of time, place, or age of the per­former of the mitzva A kezayis, the siZe of an olive, is universal; one size fits all (except when considerations of health come into play). So we all-big and small alike-eat our kezayis of matza at the approprtate time at the Seder.

As another case in point, the Torah obligates all boys thirteen years of age and up, and all girls twelve years of age and older, to believe in Hashem We do not find any variations in the declaration of Kabbolas ol Malchus Shamayim for different degrees of maturity or intelligence. Moshe Rabbeinu and our children today de­clare uniformly, "She ma Yisroel. HashemElokeinu, HashemEchad."

There is one exception, however: the mitzvaof"Vehigad'talevincha" It is incumbent upon each father to re­late the story of the Exodus to his child according to the child's level of understanding (see Rambam, Hilchos Chometz Umatza 7:2). That is, the fa­ther must make an honest evaluation of the child and his capacity, and then teach him in accordance with that capacity. If the child is young or slow, the father should relate the story tn the most simple way-the de­tails of what transpired, and little more. Should the child be more ad­vanced, however, the father should expound on the miracles performed through Moshe Rabbeinu. If the fa­ther were to follow the latter scenario

31

with the former child, he would nol be fulfilling the mitzva. ll makes no differ· ence how novel the divrei Torah

are, or how lofty the thoughts are­he has not fulfilled his mitzva of Vehigad'ta levinchn.

This may well prove to be a crncial factor in why it is that we recite a berachacalling attention to the valia· tions in this mitzva's performance, as we shall see.

CHILDREN ASAN EGO EXTENSION

Tie parent-child relationship is ery powerful. It is also ex· remely sensitive. The Gemora

tells us, "One is envious of everyone, except his child and student" (Sanhedrin !05b). 1bat is, one is en· vious of all-his siblings, his parents, even his spouse-except his child or student. Why is this so?

Perhaps we can suggest that people view their children and stu·

So1netilne,.; pdrents try to make

Uf' for fheir own shortco1nin5s or

fadures throug/1 their chddren.

and ivhen tfu: junior editions

mirror their cf der5' fi1nitatio11_.;"

the j)dt'ents vent their

frustrdtions on thern.

dents as their own creations. ergo ex­tensions of themselves. And just as the left hand is not envious of the right hand for its greater strength, because both are parts of one body, so too does a parent view himself and his children as parts of the same greater entity. As a result, parents tend to realize their own aspirations and dreams through their children. (A woman walking with her two sons on Ocean Parkway was asked their ages. Her response: "The doctor is five, the lawyer is three.")

Sometimes parents try to make up

for thetr own shortcomings or failures through thetr children, and when the junior editions mirror their elders' limitations. the parents vent their frustrations on them. A story is told of a fatber who complained to the Bais Yisroe1 (the Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Yis· roe] Alter, '?"lit) that his son was stub· born in his ways even though the fa· ther was strtct and did not hesitate to punish or hit him. "What will be of hlrn?" The Bais Yisroe1 answered, "He too will grow up to punish and strike his child, unless you change your ways and become his positive role model." ('The shortcomings of children are usually those that are genetically passed on to them from one of thetr parents, who is especially attuned and sensitive to these failures, and there­fore reacts to them very strongly-a discussion for another time.}

Parents see themselves incarnated in their children to the degree that they view themselves as one organ­ism: so much so, that a boy can come lo cheder in the summer with a scarf and earmuffs; when questioned by his rebbe, he answers, "My mother had the shivers this morning."

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The Jewish Observer. March 1994

Such parents are unable to ex­claim, "BaruchHashem-Thankyou, Hashem for the four sons," as will be explained.

RELATING TO OBJECTS THROUGH BERACHOS

Rrbi Levi posed a question re­arding the apparent contra­iction between two pesukim

'To G-d is the earth and all that fills it," and 'The heavens belong to G-d, while He gave the earth to mankind." His answer: The first pasuk desert bes the world before man says a beracha, the second refers to earth after man has recited a beracha (Berachos 35b).

The parent who views his child

as his after-ego, whom he has

created to rehve his fife, cannot

pronounce a blessing to G.J in

regard to children such as these,

for they are "man-made" children. ------------·-·---

We know that one cannot derive any pleasure from this world without first blessing Hashem We therefore say blessings on both tangible and ab­stract benefits, such as food and the fragrances that emanate from spices.

Why, then, one wonders, do we not make blessings upon hearing music, or seeing other artistic creations-ar­chitecture or paintings-which also give pleasure? Perhaps the answer lies in Rabbi Levi's statement cited above. Bothpesukim although refer­ring to different stages in man's rela­tionship to the world-one before the beracha (everything is Hashem's), one after the beracha (the earth was Hashem's, and is now given to man for enjoyment)-begin with the same point ofreference: Hashem Perhaps what the Gemora is teaching us is that a beracha can be said only on something that one recognizes as coming from Hashem-which is the case in regard to both food and the aroma of spices. By contrast, music and other art forms, although poten­tial sources of tremendous spiritual uplift and aesthetic pleasure, can be

The Jewish Observer. March 1994

viewed as man-made. One does not pronounce a blessing on something perceived as produced by man.

neshama created by Hashernand en­trusted to him. That parent does not conceive his role as a parent to be one of raising

This understanding can help us appreciate two basically differing at­titudes that parents might have to­ward their children. One is the case of the parent described above, who views his child as his alter-ego, whom he has created to relive his life. One cannot pronounce a blessing to G-d in regard to children such as these, for they are "man-made" children.

children according to his self-gratify­ing wishes so as to assuage his ego, or to heal his personal frustrations, but sees it his task to raise that G-d-given neshama in the ways of Hashem ac­cording to the wishes of Hashem

There is, however, another type of parent who views his child as a

Parents such as these may make a blessing on their G-d-given gift.

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G-D BLESS THE CHD.J>REN, GREAT

AND SMAIL

~ I f the mitzva of ' Vehigad'ta levin-

cha were similar to all other mitzvos with standard pa­rameters, equal for all to perform in the best way they can, then it would have been incumbent on the indi­vidual to relate the story of Yetzias Miizrayim in the best way he can, do­ing all he can to transmit all his knowl­edge to his son, regardless of his son's

The parent who sees it bis task

to raise tbat C-d-siven

neshama in the ways of

Hashem/ accordins to tbe

wisbes of Hashem, may make a

blessins on his C-d-siven silt.

34

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capacity to grasp what he is being told.

The Torah, how­ever, made an excep­tion in regard to this mitzva. Fulfillment of "Vehigad'ta- and you shall relate" is tailored to the spe­cific capaciiy of"levincha-your son." Therefore, davka-especially before the performance of this mitzva of Vehigad'ta levincha when one has to overlook his own wishes to use this opportuniiy to "show his wares" and "give it all he has" to mold his son as he desires-should he take stock of the gifts granted to this particular child by Hashem-which one of the four sons he is most similar to. He should then communicate with him as Hashem wishes, in keeping with the trust Hashem has invested in him.

When one has come to the realiza­tion that he has been entrusted by Hashem with one of His neshamos to do with as Hashem wishes, he can then recite the beracha: "Baruch Hamakom-Blessed is G-d, blessed is He; the Torah speaks in regard to four sons."

Thank you, Hashem, for chil­dren .... Thank you for each of the Four Sons. •

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The Jewish Observer. March 1994

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I SECOND LOOKS ~,+,~

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I

The New Vatican-Israel R1

/ .rr"'1- R .!;;,_...,_

fter 45 years, the Vatican has finally come to accept that which the United Nation cre­

ated and the world at large recog­nized: the State of Israel. Now that that is taken care of, one is not cer­tain where this step will lead. Mer all, this act takes place against the back-

drop of a long history, wherein the Catholic Church has been the source of close to 2,000 years of pain and persecution for the Jewish People-­from the wrttings of the Gospel, to the Crusades, through the Spanish In­quisition all the way to the silence of Pope Pius XII durtng the atrocities of World War II. And as far as the Vatican is concerned. the existence of a Jewish State on the soil of the Holy Land is more than an irksome fly in the sacramental ointment; according to some, its very existence is contrary to the teachings of the Church. Yet, in the international community, it was important for each of the parties to face up to the realities of our times: the Vatican should be dealing directly with the coun[ry in political control of some of the holiest real estate on the

The Jewish Observer. March 1994

A Step Toward What?

globe. And Israel should have the dip­lomatic means for communicating with the spirttual leadership of hun­dreds of millions of Catholics.

So, after much behind-the-scene activity and some front-page posing, key negotiators signed a mutual rec­ognition agreement on December 30,

1993. Perhaps the great­est implications of this signing are not a forget­ting or forgiving (who can do that?) of the past, but a decision to focus on the future, wherein the tenor should be di­plomacy. The affairs of the spirtt should not fig­ure in this opening of diplomatic channels. First, as a people and as a religious community, we do not engage in reli-

gious dialogue. Our frames of refer­ence are mutually independent, and we have nothing to gain from such ac­tivity. Furthermore, such dialogue can suggest religious commonality, which would leave the unwary, un­educated Jew vulnerable to mission­ary efforts. This is especially sensitive in any kinds of formal dealings with the Church, which are inherently problematic, since it has hlstortcally engaged in proselytization.

In fact. these very considerations prompted Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to write to the Ponevezher Rosh Hayeshtva, Rabbi Eliezer Schach, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, Rabbi Moshe Hager, and the Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Pinchas Menachem Alter, ""vW, as the leaders of the Chareidi population in Israel, regarding the goals of this pact. In his letter, Peres wrote (Janu­ary 14,'94) tl1at their concerns in this

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regard could be laid t6 rest: The en­tire agreement is purely a matter of "diplomatic relations." To underscore that there is no intention to blur the basic, insurmountable differences between the two religious groups, he quoted the Prophet: "For each nation will go each man after his own god, and will we go in the Name of Hashem Elokim for all eternity." Peres also rec­ognized the need for caution in regard to opening doors to possible rnlssionizing efforts-''which are pro­hibited by !Israeli] law," he added.

After the reassurances from Peres. there was apparently need for more clarification. After all, the Vatican is a religious institution, and its various offices and representives are not sim­ply laymen or politicians, but are gen­erally Princes of the Church. Thus, it is worth noting that when Rabbi David Rosen, who was the key nego­tiator of the Israel-Vatican pact, was considered the top candidate for the Israeli ambassadorship to the Vatican, the suggestion was nixed by the Church. As JTA reported it (Jan 18, '94):

Monsignor Andrea di Montezemolo, the apostoUc delegate to Jerusalem, has said openly that the first Israeli ambassador to the Holy See should be a career diplomat. The Vatican has stressed that the bilateral agreement is a state-to·state rather than a theologi­cal accord. It might be encouraging for the

moment to hear the Vatican express views similar to ours on this matter. But Rabbi Rosen, the Jerusalem­based director of interfaith relations for the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rtth, has a different perspec­tive, and he may just be closer to the ultimate direction of these events. QuotingJTA further:

Rosen declined to comment directly on the controversy, but he stressed that state-to-state relations between the Vatican and Israel had to be viewed within the wider context of inter-reli­gious relations.

"I wulerstand that the [Vatican/ sec­retary of state is eager to ensure that relations with Israel are of an exclu­si1Jely bilateraldiplomatie nature, but it would be a mistake to ignore the broader ramifications of the relation­ship," he said. Tilis situation obviously needs fur-

ther watching. •

The Jewish Observer. March 1994

SECOND LOOKS

A.Customer

The Next Challenge­

Partll Customer: Sholom Aleichem, Reh B.C. Are my pants ready? Clothier: No. rm really sorry. I've been so busy. The whole business is on my head. I can't catch my breath. The matertal you gave me might be lost. Customer: This is the third time I've stopped by, you know. Tell me, you are so busy, when do you have time to learn-a lamdanlike you? Clothier: What should I do? Customer: Take Jn some help. Clothier: Who? A nebachl can't use. A talented and ambitious person? As soon as I teach him the tricks of the trade he is off to start his own busi­ness, and takes my customers. to boot. I should train my competitors? Customer: I have a solution for you and many like you. I know many tal­ented and bright people whose ambi­tion in life is not to become success­ful businessmen. There are today in the Kolellim mature and capable yungeleit-lomdim-who have de­voted their lives to learning and shteiging. They reach a time in life when they must pursue parnossa opportunities. Hire one of them for a half day's work. Pay him a decent sal­ary. A zoriz (quick moving person) can accomplish in half a day what a schleppertakes a whole day to do. He won't have to leave koUel completely. And you don't have to worry about his ambitions. He already considers him­self a millionaire by virtue of his ahavas haTorah. and being a talmid chacham You will have more time for learning. And you won't be out of breath every time I see you. Clothier: Hmmm. we'll have to see ... Customer: And maybe I'll get my pants, after all.

The Jewish Observer, March 1994

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---------------------------------· 41

Mi:Dovid~~ is one of3,~$~5.); farmers wh~itate observ~ng' • Shmitah in. Etetz Y'isroel this

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Books in Review

The Yearning Soul: Essays for the Thinking Jew by Rabbi Moshe Einstadter (Feldheim, Spring Valley, New York, 1992, $13.95)

Tie twelve original essays col­

ected in this book are both in­ellectuaUy stimulating and

emotionally inspiring. Well written, these meditations employ conceptual analyses to shed light on some of the major issues a student of Yahadus will encounter. An essay, typically, tries to elucidate the meaning of a dif­ficult passage in Chazal or the Rambam. or aims at reconciling dif­ferent texts that appear to conflict. In either case, the discussion Is logical and systematic in its probe of some elusive idea. One completes an essay with a sense of having gained insight and clarity.

The essays cover a variety of top­ics, ranging from Torah to tefilla, from education to the nature of truth, and from the akeida to the ba' al teshuva. While most are developed in an en­gaging dialectical style, the excep­tions are equally Impressive. In one essay, "Impressions and Vignettes," the author relates sentiments arising from his expeiience in the presence of gedolei Torah. In another, ostensibly devoted to "Death," Rabbi Einstadter fashions a compelling, grtpping par­able, guiding the reader movingly through a reflection upon the ur­gency of his station in life as a Jew. Relevance and sensitivity are not sac­rificed in this volume to the demands of rtgor and methodology.

While most essays are free-stand­ing, some are inter-connected. Edu­cation, for example, is treated sepa­rately from the vantage point of means and ends, and from that of a teacher-pupil nexus. In one essay,

Yisroel Yehuda Pollack. of Brooklyn. NY. learned in Yeshiva Be' er Shmuel. Telshe {Ohio}. and Mesivta Rabbi Chaim Berlin. He was fifth grade Rebbe in New England Hebrew Academy, Brookline, Mass.

The Jewish Observer, March 1994

truth is identified with things that ex­ist, and is portrayed as something la­mentably lacking, in the next. In this latter essay, a number of perceptive observations on the contemporary societal scene is offered, upholding truth as a standard against which popular trends should be measured.

Other times, a common theme or key concept will be found to run through more than one essay. An in­teresting example is the phenomenon of silence and its role in the expeii­ence of a Jew. Th.is idea is most fully developed in the chapter on ltmud haTorah. which stresses the special appeal of the night as a time for learn­ing. A more subtle invocation of this concept, however, surfaces in the author's discussion of tefilla, Here he explains that before a supplicant is enabled to entreat the Ribbono Shel Olam for the fulfilhnent of a particu­lar need or needs, he must precede his request with a general plea for mercy and deliverance from the troubled state in which he finds him­self. Thus, the petitioner initially re­mains silent regarding his motives for seeking help from Hashem (see in this connection the discussion of the di­vision of tefillos according to the times of the day, pp. 19-26). Theexpeiience of silence is now seen to permeate To­rah and tefilla, In particular.

Learning and davening are not the only contexts that focus on silence. The whole of the final selection of Rabbi Einstadter's work is given over to an in-depth examination of silence as an aspect of song (shira), paradoxi­cal as this may seem. Silence figures again In the excellent discussion of the nisayonha'akeida. Evidently, the author holds that silence has a sig­ntficant role in Avodas Hashem

By far, the most intellectually

stimulating of the book's essays is the one devoted to a study of human per­sonality. The author's starting point is the Rambam toward the beginning of Shernona Prokim, where a hierar­chy of essential human traits is ad­umbrated. Two attrtbutes emerge as definitive of the human condition: will and reason. Sensory perception, though not confined to humans, is also accorded a pivotal role.

The author argues that, ulti­mately, only one of these is efficacious in the control of his action, namely, the will. The remaining two serve fun­damentally in providing input for the will, and compete for a position of strength in their influence upon it. Indeed, he suggests a model, depict­ing the dynamics obtaining among these forces and resulting In a given course of action. The exposition can be tackled on a variety of fronts, and his central claim is open to the charge of being unduly tendentious. Yet Rabbi Einstadter has done his read­ers a tremendous service by ventur­ing into such intellectually fertile ter­rain. We are much in his debt for the keen thoughtfulness and erudition he has exercised, greatly in evidence throughout the pages of this book.•

Yisroel Yehuda Pollack

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Rabbi NachwnKlein

'Tfie

1 , ~question

For centuries ~ ~o~ Warsaw there existed in the ~ to ask the Vilna Jewish cities of Europe a Gaon, Reb Asher traditionofinscribinginacom- pressed to hear what the munity journal, known as "the question was. With some prod-Pinl<us, " outstanding tales of piety and ding, the messenger acceded to his learning concerning the residents of the host's request; Reb Asher-a busi-city. Two such stories are presented nessman-promptly offered fourteen here. The first was told by Rabbi Nata answers to the question. The messen-Greenblatt of Memphis in the name of ger was overwhelmed with dismay at hisfather, a native of Brisk, Lithuania. the ease with which the question It was recorded in the Brisker Pinkus." might be answered, but stnce he had

I n the time of the Gaon of Vilna (the "Grd'), a scholar of Warsaw, Poland posed a difficult Torah

question. Since the entire Warsaw Rabbtnate was unable to answer the question satisfactorily, it was decided to send a representative of Warsaw to Vtlna to receive from the Graa defini­tive answer. (Despite the cost to the community of a week's travel, War­saw needed an answer to a Torah question. It was not even a practical inquiry: It was purely an academic problem.) The messenger decided to spend Shabbos tn Brisk, a stopptng point on the road from Warsaw to Vilna, and he was tnvited to stay tn the home of a local businessman named Asher.

At the Shabbos meal, Reb Asher asked the messenger what had brought him to Brisk. When he learned that the messenger had a

RabbiNachum Klein is a Baltimore Torah scholar and businessman who collects of ma'asehs, with the intent of shartng them. 1bis is his first appear~ ance in these pages.

46

already undertaken this mission to Vilna, he continued on his way after Shabbos.

In Vilna he received an audience with the Gra. who immediately an­swered with the same fourteen re­sponses as the Brisker businessman, Reb Asher. The messenger could not restrain his amazement: he told the Gaon about Reb Asher and his re­sponses. The Gaonrequested that the messenger return to Brisk and ex­tend to RebAsher an invitation to see him in Vilna-and if that were not possible, he would personally visit Reb Asher himself.

("What follows," Reb Nata inter­jected, "is the key element of the story." It was not Reb Asher's bril­liance that merited his inclusion tn the Pinkus, but his honor of the To­rah and Torah scholars.)

When RebAsherlearned of the Gaon's tnvitation, he responded that he could not visit the Gaon without first reviewing the entire Talmud. It would be a dishonor, he tnsisted, to talk to the Gaon without a fresh

knowledge of Torah. (Contrast our visits to Gedolim: reverent, but un­prepared.) He started his preparation for the visit, but the Gaon passed away before Reb Asher could finish. Reb Asher-a merchant of the holy city of Brisk!

n

The Ptnkus of Lublin told a miracu­lous story concerning one of the city's most illustrious Rabbis. This was re­lated by Rabbi Shmerl Shulman, who heard it.from aLubliner Jew. at was also narrated by Rabbi M. Twerski in the name of his father.)

woman of Lublin was dytng, and as is often the case at such

oments, her husband swore an oath to her on her deathbed that he would never remarry, and would always rematn loyal to her. The flesh is weak, and after some time he wanted to remarry. He went to Rabbi Shlomo Luria ("the Maharshar'-1510-1573), Rav of Lublin, to ask if he was permitted to renege on this oath. The Maharshal granted him permission, and shortly after this sec­ond marriage the husband died. The distraught widow came to the Maharsha!and accused him of caus­tng her husband's death through an erroneous ruling. The Maharshal spoke to the officer of the burial soci­ety to request that he come to the Beis Miclrash and bring him to the cem­etery when the coffin was to be low­ered tnto its grave.

TheJewishObserver. March 1994

At the appointed time, the officer brought the Rav to the cemeteiy. The Maharshal proceeded to place in the coffin a brief Torah responsum sketching his reasons for permit­ting the man's second maniage. Movement was heard from the coffin, and the husband was resurrected from death. (Not only are the Maharshal's mi-raculous powers described here; also, his legendary strength of character and his confidence that Hashem would agree with his ruling and do what is necessaiy.)

Rabbi M. Twerski re­lates that the Pinlms here told of a second

miracle:

woman of Lublin

was dying, and her husband swore that he would never remarry, and would always remain loyal to her. After some time he changed his mind ....

The wife of the resurrected man came to the Maharshalwith a further complaint. She could not bear living with a man who had been dead. (It was like living with a Zombie.) The Maharslml, in his confident manner, said he would take care of that prob­lem also, and he davened to Hashem that the wife should completely forget that her husband had died. (Her feel­ings were changed.) The Pinkus con­cludes that the second miracle was greater than the first: changing the heart of a person is greater than res­urrecting the dead!! •

The Jewish Observer. March 1994

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Time for a Public Confessional

I remember as a young rav an in­cident whereby my life was drasti­cally changed. Davening in the ye­shiva world was at 7:30 a.m., and getting there at all-even late-was a challenge.

Suddenly, as a rav, I was con­fronted with davening at 6:45 a.m. Embarrassingly, I came after 7: 00 a.m. After continuous teasing from one of my ba'alei battim about going to sleep too late, I decided to make a startling announcement from the pulpit that Shabbos. I proclaimed that their rav was sick, that he had an illness. There was total silence. All ears were at attention as I described my sickness-that of coming late to the minyan.,,. I ask: Do our Torah teachers who smoke tell their talmid.im that the habit that they have is a terrible one and that what I do is wrong and should not be copied?

I pray to Hashem that as Torah

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continues to flourish throughout America, that with the same sensitiv­ity, with the same devotion, we will work on ourselves to control this and other terrible damaging habits.

RABBI DR. Tzv! G. SCHUR, DIRECTOR OF JEWISH CHAPLAINCY

Milwaukee

THE PARENTS' CRUCIAL ROLE IN GEMORAHOMESTUDY

To the Editor: In your April Issue, the article

"Whose Homework Is It Anyway?" minlmizes the importance of the par­ents' role in helping children with their homework Further, tn your No­vember Issue, you printed a letter to the editor from a parent supporting that position. In the face of silence I respond. And for the sake of both children who deserve better and those parents who know better, I state my own truth as a parent, for anyone to take or leave behind.

Tue years of fifth to eight grade are crucial tn the development of our sons' ability to master Talmudic text. It is during those four years that basic Gemora skills are developed in our sons; skills that will protect them from being flooded at the high school level.

Basic Gemora skill is extremely complex. It is like learning a new lan­guage and anew system oflogic simul­taneously. and this, at the age of ten to thirteen! There are no shortcuts. First, to read Aramaic, without vowels. Second, to translate each word accu­rately. Third, to phrase sentences, onceagatnwlthouttheaidofpunctua­tion. Fourth, to conceptualize ques­tion, answer, proof. rebuttal. F1fth, to organize who said what to whom, when. Unless a child is remarkably gifted, all of this Is Virtually impossible to succeed at without a father's daily help. Sorry. fathers, once a week doesn't cut it, no matter how many priortties exist in your lives.

This letter will not win me a popu­larity contest. But it Is owed to the minority of fathers who recognize their children's daily learning needs. And, of course, to the children them­selves, in whom we invest, as our fu­ture, all that we can.

NAFTOLI BASSMAN Lakewood

The Jewish Obseroer, March 1994

MORE STRESSFUL FACTORS IN THE SlMCHAEQUATION

To the Editor: Your article. "The Ultimate

Shidduch." by Rabbi David Willig (Dec. '93). brought out some excellent points. I would like to add something to the "set of stressful questions" on the part of the guests.

What about the question, "If you invite us to your simcha. can we af­ford to invite you back to our simchd?" After all, that is the prevail­ing protocol in our circles. The prob­lem is that there are many well­meaning hosts who can afford to make large chasunas. and therefore like to have everyone they know share their simcha Perhaps they overlook the possibility that some of these people, who would not have invited them to their own simcha, now feel obligated to do so. (Examples: Rela­tives and family of mechutanim. old friends to whom they haven't spoken in years. people whom they see in shuL bungalow colony acquaintan­ces. married friends of their older married children. children of their friends etc.)

Trends that are hard to stop are of­ten started by people who just want to make others feel good. Another ex­ample of this would be a fiiend who tries to get everyone to "chip in" for her good fiiend's baby present. not realiz­ing that now her good fiiend will have to buy baby presents for all those who "chipped in" for her present.

It ls for this reason, and the other reasons pointed out in the article. that ba'alei simcha should not only consider carefully whom to invite to their simcha, but whom not to invite.

NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST Brooklyn

nn!lv nN1!l1; ;;!lnn!l1 11n!I; NJ

"''" '!Vl

ilt.l7~ 7Ni~' O''n '"l '' ni'!V )l

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The Jewish Observer. March 1994

.

G.Bachrach

AnErev Shabbos Bath O.K. potato, time for a scrub,

Let's put you in a nice, clean tub

That you have never seen before

From down below on your earthen floor.

The spots and bruises on your tough skin

Are evidence of where you've been.

But we'll get rid of all your marks

For on a trip you will embark

On to our plates and table too

Where dirt and mud ;ust would not do.

In our chulent you'll add your taste

Without your earth, without your waste.

And if I miss a spot or two

There's something that I know is true,

They always seem to disappear

And leave no trace that they were there.

On Shabbos we have no dirt or grime,

Like you, I, too, become sublime. Mn. Gavriella Bachrach lives in Atlanta, Georgia,

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GRANTS TO TOMCHE SHABBOS TOP $1 MILUON MARK

Agudath Israel of America has topped the $I million mark in the total of grant monies it has obtained for TumcheShabbos, theall-volunteernet­work that distrtbutes hundreds of food packages to the needy each week.

The milestone was reached with the addition of another $120,000 in fund­ingAgudath Israel obtained this Winter, received from the Emergency Food and Shelter Program and channeled to Tomche Shabbos of Baro Park and Flatbush and Tomche Shabbos of Queens. Agudath Israel officials hasten to remind the public that Tomche Shabbos continues to rely on tndiVidual generosity for the bull< ofits support for its food-for-the-hungry program.

BATTLE lN CONGRESS TO RETAIN CHAPTER 2 SCHOOL AID

WASHINGTON-As the JO was go­tng to press, a major Victory had been won for yeshivas throughout the coun­try with the House Education and La­bor Committee's vote to retain the "Chapter 2" program as part of the re­authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. But the battle on behalf of Chapter 2 was still to be canied to the full House as well as to the U.S. Senate.

Since 1965, "Chapter 2" has been a major source of federal assistance to both public and private schools, its funds authorized to be spent in any of seven different areas of educational need. The Clinton Administration's educational proposal sent to Congress would scrap the existing Chapter 2 and replace it with a funding program concentrating on teacher develop­ment. Yeshivos, which by nature of their needs tend to use Chapter 2 funding most heavily in other areas, would suffer substantially if the Clinton measure were passed as is. Hence Agudath Israel's deep involve­ment in the issue.

FIGHT lN SENATE OVER ENTITLEMENTS OF NON-PUBLIC

SCHOOL STUDENTS

WASHINGTON-Also as the J.O. was going to press, a battle was betng waged on Capitol Hill over a one-sen­tence section tacked on to the U.S. Senate's version of the "Goals 2000: Educate America" act now before Con-

The Jewish Observer, March 1994

gress. The sentence, compristng the en­tire "Title IV' of the act, stipulates that, with certain limited exceptions. no funds granted under the measure­which introduces federal support for various school reforms-could be used to benefit, either "directly or tndirectly", any non-public school.

The intent of the added title was to bar the use of any funds awarded for school choice programs at non-public schools, a positionAgudath Israel vocif­erously opposes. But the restriction could have even more damaging rami­fications for the general accessibility of aid to non-public school children, the Agudath Israel Washington Office has warned lawmakers, in that it strtkes at "educational equity," one of the long­accepted guidtng principles of educa­tional reform. It was Agudath Israel that sounded the alarm alerting non-public school groups across the nation to the Senate's "11tle IV," which appears nei­ther in President Clinton's bill as pre­sented to Congress nor in the version of the act approved by the House.

ARACHIM KIRUV SEMlNAR, SPONSORED BY AGUDATH ISRAEL,

SETS 120 ON THE ROAD TO JEWISH COMMITMENT

A powerful four-day seminar pre­sented by Arachim, the internationally acclaimed kiruv organization, and sponsored by Agudath Israel's Chizuk division, was hosted 1n White Plains, New York, in mid-February, drawing the aVid participation of some I20Jews from diverse backgrounds and walks of life.seeking to learn about Judaism. Many have already committed them­selves to further steps in Torah study and mitzvah observance, and a follow­up program has been established to help them.

VAAD L'HATZOLAS NIDCHEI YISROEL SEMINAR IN PUSHKIMA. NEAR

MOSCOW, DRAWS ISO JEWS

The continuing success of Agudath Israel's Vaad L'Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel tn its outreach activities in the former Soviet Union was amply tn eVidence this Winter at the latest ofits series ofregu­lar Torah Seminars, held at a retreat near Pushkima, outside Moscow. Some 180 Jews from such locales as Chilyalstnsk, Dnieperpotrovsk, Gamel, Kiev, Nizhny-Novogrod, Poltova, Sa­mara, Saratov, St. Petersburg, and, of course, Moscow,-attended, among them

many college students who were off for an tntersession. Several have already enrolled tn yeshivos in Russia and Eretz Yisroe~ while others will continue their pursuit of Torah and Yiddishkeit in their local communities.

SEDER NOSHIM SIYUM MARKS HALF­WAY IN DAFYOMI CYCLE

Tens of thousands of students ofDaf Yomi completed the last blatt of Meseches Kiddushin on Taanis Esther, the day before Purim, thereby conclud­ing the study of Seder Noshinr--the third of six Orders of the Talmud-tn the current cycle of the page-a-day Tal­mud-study plan. The milestone repre­sents roughly the half-way point through Shas. To celebrate the occa­sion, community-wide Siyumim were held tn various locations throughout the world.

The main arena of New York City's Madison Square Garden, as well as the adjacent hall, have already been reserved by Agudath Israel for the na­tional celebration, three and one-half years from now, of the Tenth Siyum HaShas of Daf Yomi at the comple­tion of the current cycle. The date: the first day of Selichos, 5757 - Sep­tember 28, 1997.

31ST NATIONAL SIYUM MISHNAYOS OF PIRCHEI AGUDATH

ISRAEL lN MONSEY

Over 1200 children were expected in early March for the 3 lst National Siyum Mishnayos of Ptrchei Agudath Israel, hosted this year by Ptrchei Agudath Is­rael of Monsey. The event honors top winners of the Agudath Israel youth movemenfs fumed Mishnayos B'Al Peh Contest, as well as participants in the Mishnayos L'Chvod HaBar Mitzvah program who have studied the entire Shisha SidreiMishna.

BNOS CHAVIVOS'S SPECIAL GIRLS CELEBRATE GROUP'S ROLE lN

THEIRLIVES

The girls of Bnos ChaVivos enjoyed an enchanting evening at the program's sixth annual Melava Malka this Winter. Created specifically for girls who are de­velopmentally delayed, Bnos ChaVivos gives themaBnosAgudath Israel group of their own to go to, to join with other children every Shabbos afternoon, to sing, to play, and to learn--just like all the other girls their age.

53

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WINI AllV1IC&TI.

' 'Carmel White Zinfan­del ... This delicious, flavor­ful, medium-bodied rose is a kosher wine, so it is a super choice for religious obser­vances. The wine displays some sweetness, fruit, and admirable body and person­ality.,,

~be NtU1 !fork ~tmei; -"""'--''Two world class whites ... the savory and vivacious 1992 chardonnay ... Baron Edmond de Rothschild .. and the complex and vibrant '92 Rothschild sauvignon b!anc .... Carmel's 92 refreshing white zinfandel. .. displays California-style pizazz .... smooth '88 Rothschild cabernet sauvignon ($13) offers deep flavors ... under-$7 varietals under a new third label, Valley Wines .... workmanlike '92 and '91 sauvignon blancs, a '92 grenache rose, '91 and '89 petite sirahs and an '89 cabemet sauvignon now show the mouth-watering acidity that is crucial to a wine's liveliness and staying power, along with a teasing fruitiness. These include the '91 Rothschild, '92 Carmel Vineyards and '91 Valley Wines dry sauvignon blancs .... The '92 Carmel Vineyards chenin blanc is pleasant, and the aromat­ic '91 Vineyards emerald riesling is a crowd-pleaser.' '

'' I consider myself a lucky cow, living on one of tne best farms in New York State. This means that I receive tne best feed and grain. This enables me to produce a better q1.1ality milk. There's more good

news. Recently, some of my cow friends who live on neighboring farms are consistently being injected with BST (Growth Hormones). Yeah, tne FDA found no significant difference between milk from cows witn BST and those

-• witno1.1t. well, that may be fine for them but not for me. You see, the 1.1Se of BST has been associated with increases in cystic

ovaries and disorders of tne 1.1ter1.1S in cows. Lucky me. No Growtn Hormones for me. so wnen yo1.1 drink my •

milk (New Square's high q1.1ality pure natural milk), remember all milk is • not created equal. Ask me. I am your natural answer. tt YOU CAN'T CHOOSE A BETTER MILK!

Demonstrate your solidarity with the Torah Action Coalition of Agudath Israel

The movement that brings together the broadest spectrum of Orthodox Jewry in America for effective action addressing the needs of Klal Yisroel the world over.

You ENCOURAGE THIS UNITY BY JOINING THE DIVERSE ASSEMBLAGE PARTICIPATING IN THE

Jt!.nnual <Dinner

figudath Israel offimerica i1i7'1lJ~J 'mi"" ni1l~

Sunday evening, May 8, 1994, 1"l1Vn 1''N i::>, New York Marriott Marquis

CHAIM GROSS HaGaon Rav Aharon Kotler Memorial Award

for distinguished service to Torah

·HONORING: MENACHEM LUBINSKY

Reh Elimelcch Tress Memorial Award for preservation of the legacy of the Shearis HaPleitoh

YITZCHOK GANGER Moreinu Yaakov Rosenheim Memorial Award

for distinguished service to Agudist ideak

Community Service/cm;m n71.:w Awards will also be presented at this occasion

Please make your dinner reservation now. A commemorative journal with greetings and advertisements will be published on this occasion.

RSVP: $400 per couple or $500 in journal ads. (no appeals) • If you cannot attend in person, let your journal ad speak for you.