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(Free Translation) In the Nissan 5766 issue of The Jewish Observer, Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel described at length the actions taken by Agudath Israel on the issue of metzitza b'peh. In response to certain questions that have been directed to us regarding this matter, we wish to make it clear that the actions and positions described in that article were executed after long and careful deliberation with the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, and reflect our view as to how this matter should have been handled. We believed then, as we do now, that shtadlonus on this issue should be done quietly and behind the scenes, without taking public actions that would generate additional attention in the newspapers and general media that could be counterproductive to Statement the cause of protecting metzitza b'peh. Agudath Israel has faithfully adhered to this of Moetzes approach, in accordance with our direction and the traditional Jewish way. We are sympathetic to the pain of the individual mohel at the center of the recent Gedolei controversy, and we instructed Agudath Israel to help him in his individual case. However, we did not believe it would be productive or appropriate for Agudath Israel HaTorah of to contest the New York City Health Department's right to be involved in such matters altogether. In our opinion, the shtadlonus approach most likely to help the mohel Agudath should be directed toward factually establishing, in an agreed and accepted way, that he was not the source of any infections that occurred to the infants. Israel of Signed this Thursday, the 42nd day of the Omer, 27 lyar 5766, New York. America Rabbi Simcha Bunim Ehrenfeld Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky Rabbi Yaakov Perlow

Rabbi Ahron Feldman Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Levin Rabbi Aaron Schechter

Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America -·-··· ---.~ -.. ~ -.- .:_ -.. _·· .·· ...- .- ..•.-· .. -l

IN THIS ISSUE THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) 0021-6615 IS l'UBl.ISHEO MONTHLY. EXlTl~T JIJLY & Al!GUST ANO A COMBINE!) ISSUE FOR 4 NOTED IN SORROW JANllAllY/fEBl{UARY, BY THE AG\IDATH ISRAF.L 01' AMERICA, 42 BROADWAY. NF.W YoRK, NY !0004. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID IN Nr:;w YORK, NY. SUBSCRIPTION S\!5.00/YEAR; EVOLUTION VERSUS INTELLIGENT DESIGN \!YEARS, S46.oo; 3 YEARS, S69.00. OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES (lJS 5 INTRODUCTION HINDS DRAWN ON A tJS BANK ONLY) Sts.oo SURCHARGE PER y~:AR. SINGLE COPY S3,50; OUTSIDE NY AREA S3,95; 6 EVOLUTION VERSUS INTELLIGENT DESIGN FOREIGN S4.50. - A TORAH PERSPECTIVE, POSTMASTER: SEN!) ADDIH:ss CliANGES T(); THE Jr-:WISH 0BSEl~VER Rabbi Chaim Dov Keifer 42 BROADWAY, NY, NY 10004 TEL 212-797-9000, fAX 646-254-1600 I. THE EVOLUTION WARS: PRINTED IN THE lJSA

RABBI N!SSON WOLPIN, Editor LEGISLATIVE AND LEGAL FRONTS

Editorial Board II. THE COSMIC QUESTION: RABBI JOSEPH EuAS, Cbairmao RABBI ABBA BRlJDNY RANDOM EVOLUTION OR JOSEPH l'RIEDENSON RABRI YISROEL MEIR KlRZNER RABBI NossoN SCHERMAN !NTELUGENT DESIGN? PROf. AA RON TWf.l~SKI Ill. THE ATTEMPTED SYNTHESIS OF TORAH tiJUnders DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER ZHI. AND EVOLUTION RABB! MOSHE SME!H\R z~I.

Management Board 22 THE THIRD WORD, Dr. Chaim Presby NAFTOLI HIRSCH. ISA,._C KIRZNER, RABB! SHE.OMO !.ESIN, 27 THE MYTH OF SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVITY, DAVID SINGER, NACMUM STEIN

Man(}ging fdit(}r Yonoson Rosenblum RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDIN(;

PUBLISHED BY AGUDATH !SRAEI. OF AMERICA 35 REBBE AND FATHER: THE PNEI MENACHEM, 11.S. TRADE i)IST!UBUTOR FEl.OflEIM PUBLISHERS RABBI PINCHOs MENACHEM ALTER, ?•·:;7, 208 Airport fa·ecutire ft1rh Nanurt.NYrn9;>4 Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum BRITISH REPRESENTA'JIVF M.T. BIBFLMAN Grosvenor \~brhs Mount Plcasa11l l/i// London l:j 9NE f.NGIAND 43 SIMCHOS VS. QUALITY OF LIFE,

f'JlENCH REPRESl,NTATIVE RABBI BAMBERGER Rabbi Aryeh Zev Ginzberg 21 &mlITard ftiixhons 57000 Metz. FRANC!:

ISRAELI REPIH':SENTATIVE INTNL. MEDIA PLACEMENT f'OB 71.95 I 97 Jaffa Road STATEMENT OF POLICY }cr11salem 94:;40. !SRAE:L THE ]EW!Sfl OBSERVER HAS DEVOTED A GREAT DEAL OF SPACE TO

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Since our previous issue, Kial children, as well as his older brother, and chessed institutions were success­ Yisroef has suffered three irreplace­ the Sigheter Rav, did not survive. The fully established with his blessing and able losses in the leadership of our Rebbewas liberated from Theresienstadt under his guidance, and the Rebbe's people. We note with sorrow the in May, 1945. remarkable leadership abilities became petira of each of these extraordinary Rav Moshe married his present apparent. Despite his many communal men, in order of their passing. Rebbetzin, daughter of Rabbi Aharon responsibilities, he wrote the five-vol­ Teitlebaum of Wolowo, afrer the war. ume Beirach Moshe al Ha Torah, as well He first returned to Sighet, where he as a sefer called Maram (Moreinu Rav RABBI MOSHE TEITELBAUM 7"Yt took up the rabbinical position previ­ Moshe) Tav (TeitelBaum) on Torah and ously held by his brother, but under the mo'adim, and Haggada Beirach Moshe. On Monday, April 24/26 Nissan, If the Satmar schools in New York there was palpable grief throughout the were part of the public school net­ Chareidi world at the sad news of the work, they would be the fourth-largest petira of Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum ?"Yt, system in the state, after those of New the Satmar Rebbe, at age 91. Leader of York City, Buffalo and Rochester. In the world's largest Chassidic group, with addition to the main Satmar kehillos well over 100,000 followers, the Rebbe in Williamsburg and Kiryas Yoe!, the was born at the beginning of World Rebbe had large numbers of Chassidim War I. He was the second son of Rabbi in Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak, Boro Park, Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum ?"Yt, the Atzei Monsey, Lakewood, Montreal, London, Chaim of Sigh et (then Romania, now Manchester, Antwerp and other Hungary), and his Rebbetzin, a daughter Orthodox communities, who mourn of Rabbi Shulem Eliezer Halberstam ?'':>n the passing of their loyal manhig who of Ratzfert, a son of the Divrei Chayim served as a link to the great Rebbes of the of Sanz 7"Yt. dynasties of Satmar and Sighet. Orphaned of both parents at age threat of Russian oppression, he moved Harav Moshe sheperded the Satmar eleven, he was brought up by family, to New York. There he established a kehilla wisely and lovingly for over 26 friends and relatives, including his uncle, community of Sigheter Chassidim in years, and invested the bulk of his time Rabbi Yoe! Teitelbaum 7":>n, the previous Williamsburg, moving to Boro Park in and resources in nurturing the legacy Satmar Rebbe. the early 1960s, where he opened a beis he received from his uncle. He earned He married the daughter of his uncle, midrash, a yeshiva and a kolle/, serving the love and respect of his myriad Rabbi Chanoch Henoch Dov ?"Yt, the as both Rosh Yeshiva and Rav of Kahal Chassidim, many of whom expressed Rav of Kerecki (a descendant of the Atzei Chayim. their bereavement with the words, "We RebbesofAleskandBelz),in5696/1936. At the urging of his uncle, who have lost a father." Rav Moshe served initially as a maggid was then the Satmar Rebbe V"t, he was shiur at his father-in-law's Yeshiva and involved in numerous klal activities. was subsequently appointed Rav of When the Satmar Rebbewas nistaleik RABBI MOSHE HALBERSTAM 7"Yt Senta (now in Yugoslavia). on 26 Av 5739/1979, Rav Moshe was · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · As a young man, he was renowned as invited to assume the duties as head of The Orthodox community was deep- an outstanding talmid chacham and held the worldwide Satmar Chassidus. Out of ly shocked at the sudden petira at age 74 in esteem for his wise, caring advice. His kavod for the Rebbe, he did not to ascend on April 26/28 Nissan of Haga on Rabbi reputation followed him wherever he to leadership until the first yahrzeit. He Moshe Halberstam 7"Yt, senior dayan went, and he was consulted by many. was also appointed as Nassi of the Eida of the Beis Din of the Eida Hachareidis

He led the kehilla until the spring of Hachareidis in Yerushalayim and visited and one of the leading poskim of our 1· 1944 when, together with his congre- Eretz Yisroel several times. generation. , gants, he and his family were deported Satmar kehillos around the world Rabbi Halberstam's influence extend- I I L"-'~ "'' ''b~tirnd tlrr: ~odOO,:h N~,o'""'k.Wim 00 fuc ~,ood hh owo romm":J ------===------~-----=-~-1-· _;-,=E==J =E=W-- _' _s-_H-----0=8=-~=E=R=V==E=R----·==------==-===--~------_-__------=-i--

He was consulted by rabbanim and He is survived by his Rebbetzin and by the Chazon !sh, and then at the laymen from all sectors of observant his six chidren. His oldest son, Rav Slabodka kollel, where he was recog­ Jewry, including members of the yeshiva Zalman, is a dayan in the Satmar Kehilla nized for his exceptional intellectual community, for p'sak, divrei Torah and in Williamsburg. powers and hasmada (diligence). In hadracha in rabbanus. People came Revered by everyone, he cannot be 1949/5709, the Chazon !sh and the to him from yishuvim with not only replaced. Brisker Rav urged him to join Rabbi halachic queries, but also questions Shlomo Wolbe, the revered mussar regarding personal and policy matters: master, to found the Yeshiva of Be' er whether they should live in a particular RABBI MOSHE SHMUEL Yaakov in a small immigrant commu­ place, and how their yeshivas should SHAPIRO ':>"''11 nity in central Israel - he, as found­ handle specific issues. Every doctor ing Rosh Yeshiva, and Rabbi Wolbe, in Jerusalem knew him through their On Shabbos, April 29/Rosh Chodesh as Mashgiach. Over the decades that patients, who invariably consulted him Iyar, Kial Yisroel lost one of its senior they led the yeshiva, they left a pro­ on medical matters. Roshei Yeshivas. Rabbi Moshe Shmuel found imprint on their talmidim, both Rabbi Halberstam came to Bretz Shapiro ':>"'11 headed the Be' er Yaakov through direct contact and through Yisroel from Europe as a child with his Yeshiva and was author of the ten­ their sefarim. family, before World War II. His father, volume Kuntreis Habiurim, comprised His unswerving hasmada was his Rabbi Yaakov of Tshakov ?··011, was a of his shiurei klalli - chiddushim on constant companion over his entire Nashim, Nezikin and part of Moed. He also authored Shaarei Shemuos, based on his shiurim on the blatt. Rav Moshe Shmuel was born in Minsk, Russia, of illustrious ancestors. His father, Rabbi Arye Shapira, the Av Beis Din of Bialystok, was a son of Rabbi Raphael Shapira, author of Taras Raphael, and a son-in-law of Rabbi Naftoli Tzvi Berlin (the Netziv). His mother was descended from the Oneg Yorn Tov, who was Rav of Bialystok. Throughout his youth and young adulthood, he was recognized by lead­ ing Torah personalities as a future gadol son of Rabbi Sinai Halberstam ':>"011 of ha Torah, and was nurtured accordingly lifetime. A bachur once told him, "I Zmigrod - a grandson of the Divrei - first as a ta/mid of Rabbi Elchonon heard that the Rosh Yeshiva [referring Chayim of Sanz ':>"'11. His mother was WassermaninBaranovitch,andlater,in to Rav Moshe Shmuel) spends20hours a daughter of the Shotzer Rebbe ':r-011 the Mirrer Yeshiva, under the guidance preparing the shiur." of London, a descendant of the Rebbes of Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz. He replied: "I begin on Thursday, of Shotz, Premishlan, Ropschitz and In Elul 1937, under threat of often staying up all night. Friday, all day, Belz. induction into the army, he fled to Shabbos, and ofcourse Sunday, before I Rabbi Halberstam was a close ta/mid Bretz Yisroel, where he continued to present the shiur.. .. I would say several of, n··?::i>. Rabbi Shmuel Wosner N""""'1. flourish under Rabbi Yechiel Michel times 20 hours." and the two poskim would discuss diffi- Gordon, Rabbi Reuvain Katz and Rav Moshe Shmuel was held in awe cult she'eilostogether every erevShabbos. Rabbi Elazar Menachem Mann Shach for his personal warmth as well as his He served as a moreh hora'a and then in the Lomzer Yeshiva in Petach Tikva. exceptional dedication to emes.A former dayan for the Bida Hachareidis, and Later, in Yerushalayim, he learned ta/mid rcalled: "When asked a question, was deeply involved in the activities of under the Brisker Rav, Rabbi Yitzchak he would stop, think things over, and Kollel Chibas Yerushalayim-Rabbi Meir Zev Soloveitchik. In 5706/1946, he deliver a new shiuras a result. This dem- Baal Haness, the Vaad Horabbonim married his Rebbetzin (who survives onstrated both his intellectual honesty Le'inyonei Tzedaka, as well as rabbini- him), a daughter of Rabbi Aharon and his very quick mind" (quoted in the cal advisor to Hatzola and a number of Weinstein - author of Darkei Aharon London Jewish Tribune). other tzeddaka and chessed organiza- and Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Yosef, first Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapiro was a

lions. A collection of some of Rav in Mezeritch, and subsequently in Tel living testimony to how our generation '1 Moshe's teshuvoswere published under Aviv. They moved to Bnei Brak where was indeed blessed with the personifica- the title Dzvrei Moshe. he first learned in the kollel headed tion of greatness of earlier times. li!J ~ --~------______:J e are living in times of phe­ presents a five-part treatment of the theme, nomenal growth in scien­ "Evolution Vs. Intelligent Design:' The first tific knowledge and insights, three segments form a comprehensive dis­ coupled with unprecedented cussion on the topic by Rabbi Chaim Dov technological advancement As a result, we Keller, Rosh Hayeshiva of Telshe Yeshiva of are experiencing progress in how we live Chicago: "The Evolution Wars: Legislative· - enjoying enhancement of our health, gen­ and Legal Fronts," "The Cosmic Question: eral well-being, comfort and longevity-and Random Evolution or Intelligent Design?" we are undergoing unprecedented changes in and "The Attempted Synthesis of Torah and the way we see the world around us. Many of Evolution." these insights serve to broaden and deepen This is followed by"The Third Word," by our appreciation for the majesty and intri­ Dr. Chaim Presby, a highly regarded mem-; cate complexity of our natural world. At the ber of the scientific community who has same time, some speculative hypotheses of won prestigious awards for his discoveries how the world functions - indeed, of how it in photonics. A senior lecturer in outreach · came into existence - offer formidable chal­ programs associated with Gateways, Dr. lenges to our fundamental beliefs as Torah Presby presents in his article a Torah hash­ Jews. We must be aware of trends that are kafa incorporating personal experiences contrary to our basic principles of faith, in the areas of Creation, Evolution and · identify them, and be prepared to battle Intelligent Design. against them, if necessary. One of these is a The final article, "The Myth of Scientific matter of current controversy referred to "as Objectivity;' is written by Yonoson the Evolution Wars;' which are raging among Rosenblum, a widely published author American school boards and courtrooms, and essayist who serves as a contributing with possible far-reaching consequences to editor of The Jewish Observer. He addresses· the Jewish community. the manner in which scientists have com­ The media's discussions on the topic and promised their professional objectivity to the judicial precedents being set are such ignore weaknesses in the basic premises of that they create a climate of acceptance of evolution. Evolution as a given in both the scientific It is our fervent tefilla that the time, effort.' community and in the public arena. We and research that were invested in produc­ must deal with it - at times in a challenging ing this issue will clarify for our readers or adversarial manner - so as to keep our and those with whom they have contact the own hashkafa (ideological outlook) consis­ manner in which the Hand of Hashem can tent with Torah perspectives. be perceived and appreciated in the world With this in mind, The Jewish Observer around us. N.W. EVOLUTION VERSUS INTELLIGENT DESIGN

RABBI CHAIM Dov KELLER 1"n1:rvnn 1pnv ii~r.J ·n 1~-vvn 17i~ nn Evolution vs. Intelligent Design ATorah Perspective

or Jews ma' aminim bnei ma'aminim, the question of whether the world was created or just came about by itself and developed by chance into this wondrous creation was long ago made quite clear. We are descendants of Avraham, who, FRashi (Bereishis 24,3) tells us, transformed awareness of the Ribbona she/ Olam, from being only Elokei Hashamayim, the G-d of Heaven, virtually unknown to the inhabitants of the world, into the G-d of Heaven and Earth. Having come to the realization that this wondrous creation must have a Ba' al Hahira - a Master Who created it and Who guides its destiny - Avraham proclaimed His name to the world's inhahitants. We, the Jewish people, lived through Yetzias Mitzrayim - the Exodus from Egypt - and experienced Krias Yam Suf - the miraculous splitting of the Red Sea. We stood at the foot of Har Sinai, and, as a whole people, men, women and children, numbering in the millions, heard the voice of Hashem declaring "Anachi Hashem Elakecha - I am Hashem, your G-d, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt" (Shemos 20,2). Many commentaries ask why it does not say: "I am the G-d Who created heaven and earth!' The Rambam points out that Hashem refers to His having taken us out of Egypt miraculously, which we ourselves witnessed. This proves that He not only cre­ ated heaven and earth, and thus could suspend the laws of nature, but continues to guide its destiny.

Im The Evolution Wars: legislative And legal Fronts n previous generations, the Jewish eichem- [going astray] after your eyes," in all of the states of the Union, the stan­ people suffered from defection from which refers to lust and hedonism. Now, dard biology course includes Darwin's I our mesora because of alien ideas: however, we have a public debate over Theory of Evolution. And at present, avoda zara of all kinds, the attacks of Evolution versus Intelligent Design, there are a number oflegislative and legal gentile philosophies, and in later gen­ which touches on the very basic prin­ battles challenging this monopoly. erations, Reform, Communism, secular ciples of our faith. Zionism, and Haskalla. We've seen a complete turnabout As of late, it seemed that our main since 1925, when Clarence Darrow, in the THE DOVER CASE problems were no longer with "Lo sas­ famous "Monkey Trial;' defended John uru acharei levavchem - Don't turn Scopes against a charge of having taught he most recent and highly pub­ astray after your hearts;' which refers evolution, against the Tennessee State law, licized decision was in the case to alien beliefs, but with "acharei ein- and lost the case. Today, eighty years later, Tof the Dover, Pennsylvania

7 ..... -~------M A Y 2 0 0 6

School Board that was handed down on Jones wrote. "However, the fact that a establish atheism as the state religion. December 20, 2005, in a federal district scientific theory cannot yet render an The judge took the position that this court in Harrisburg. The school board explanation on every point should not disclaimer would establish Christianity had passed a resolution requiring biol­ be used as a pretext to thrust an untest­ as a religion: "The writings of leading ogy teachers, before teaching Evolution, able alternative hypothesis grounded in Intelligent Design proponents reveal to read a short disclaimer that evolution religion into the science classroom or to that the designer postulated by their is not a fact, but a theory, and that gaps misrepresent well-established scientific arguments is the G-d of Christianity:' in the theory exist for which there is no propositions:) What about Judaism and Islam? Don't evidence. What is this Intelligent Design that we they believe that G-d created the world? It also stated that "Intelligent Design" are talking about? Those who advance When I saw the decision, I realized that is an explanation of the origin of life the concept oflntelligent Design are not the court was viewing this as a replay of that differs from Darwin's view, and seeking to propagate what had previously the 1987 Supreme Court decision that outlawed Christian-sponsored Creation Science in the schools. The Court felt that those advocating ID, although not identifying the Designer, were concealing their motive, which the court felt was the propagation of Christian Creationism. AT A TIME WHEN THE BASIC FOUNDATION The noted constitutional lawyer, Nathan OF OUR EMUNA IS BEING ATTACKED, OUR Lewin, called this "nonsense;' saying that "it is dangerous to make a court decision MISSION IN THIS WORLD IS TO BE MEKADEISH depend on the motives of government SHEIM SHAMAYIM, TO PROCLAIM THE TRUTH officials. Either the result is OK or it's AND TO DECLARE, AS AVRAHAM AVINU DID, not OK:' THE DIVINE NAME IN HIS CREATION. A CASE OF JUDICIAL INCONGRUITY

n a remarkable display of judicial incongruity, on the one hand, the referred the students to a book for those been called Creationism or Creation I court quotes the 1987 Supreme who might be interested in gaining an Science. They are not saying that you have Court decision: understanding oflntelligent Design (ID). to teach the Biblical account of Creation. Families entrust public schools It added that "with respect to any theory, They are just saying that the universe with the education of their chil­ students are encouraged to keep an open and all its creatures are too complex to dren, but condition their trust on mind. The school leaves the discussion of be the result of random chance, but are the understanding that the classroom the origin of life to individual students the result of intelligent design, and where will not purposely be used to advance and their families." there is intelligent design, there must religious views that may conflict with The judge declared this seemingly be a "Designer," which would seem to the private beliefs of the student and innocuous disclaimer unconstitutional be quite reasonable, and that there are his or her family. on the grounds that it would violate serious scientists who believe it. And again, quoting another Supreme the First Amendment, which prohibits Court decision: the establishment of religion, and that School sponsorship of a religious even raising the possibility of an alter­ ESTABLISHING A STATE message is impermissible because native explanation for the origin of life RELIGION it sends the ancillary message to is a religious viewpoint that advances "a members of the audience who are particular version of Christianity." ut this was rejected by the Court not adherents that they are outsid­ Judge Jones concluded that Intelligent as violating the principle of sepa­ ers, not full members of the political Design was not science, and that its Bration of church and state. We community, and an accompanying proponents admit that in order to claim fail to see how just saying that there is message to adherents that they are that it is, they must change the very defi­ another approach to understanding the insiders, favored members of the nition of science to include supernatu­ complexity of the universe violates the political community. ral explanations. "To be sure, Darwin's constitutional ban on establishment of a In other words, if it is suggested that Theory of Evolution is imperfect," judge state religion. "What it does, in effect, is to there might be a possibility that the

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world has a Creator Who designed it, in violation of the First Amendment, supernatural causation. Expert testi­ some students might have their private prohibiting an establishment of religion mony reveals iliat since the scientific beliefs questioned and made to feel like or the free exercise thereof! revolution ofilie 16th and 17th cen­ outsiders. Which students and which turies, science has been limited to the beliefs? 80% of the United States popu­ search for natural causes to explain lation believes in G-d. Yet the court was CULTURAL OSMOSIS natural phenomena. This revolution concerned that someone who doesn't entailed the rejection of ilie appeal to believe in G-d would feel uncomfortable ow does all this affect us? First, authority, and by extension, revela­ with this disclaimer. What about the 80%? at a time when the basic foun­ tion, in favor of empirical evidence. What about those children who have been H dation of our emuna is being In science, explanations are restricted brought up to believe in a Creator? They attacked, our mission in this world is to iliose iliat can be inferred from are not only made to feel like outsiders. to be mekadeish Sheim Shamayim, to the confirmable data - ilie results They are made to feel stupid! By com­ proclaim the trutl1 and to declare, as obtained through observations and pletely ruling out the possibility of an Avraham Avinu did, the Divine Name in experiments iliat can be substantiated Intelligent Designer, the court now takes His Creation. "Am zu yatzarti Ii tehillasi by oilier scientists .... Explanations the position that only those who do not yesapeiru. I formed for Me this people. that cannot be based upon empiri­ believe in a Creator deserve to have their Let them declare My praises." cal evidence are not part of science. private beliefs respected. But, turning inward, we cannot escape This rigorous attachment to "natural" But the topsy-turvy legal reasoning the fact that legislative enactments and explanations is an essential attribute does not end there. On the other hand, court decisions have a profound effect on to (sic) science by definition and by the court takes exception to the dis­ the moral tone of the society in which we convention. (emphasis added) claimer rl1at states: "The school leaves live, which in turn affects us. Before the the discussion of the origin of life to Supreme Court issued the landmark Roe individual students and their families." vs. Wade decision in 1973, an abortionist THE CONFRONTATION Quoth the court: was considered a murderer. Today, abor­ OF IDEAS ...by directing student to their tion is perceived as a «right to privacy," families to learn about the "Origin of and protected by law. And this percep­ nd here we come to the crux of Life;' the paragraph reminds school tion seeps into our supposedly insulated the confrontation of ideas. We children that they can rightly main­ world. Today, Orthodox rabbanim are Aunderstand very well the great tain beliefs taught by their parents being asked she' eilos about abortion, benefits to mankind that are the result on the subject of ilie origin of life, and not just questions having to do with of the research and technological cre­ iliereby stifling ilie critical thinl

9 ------~--- EVOLUTION VERSUS INTELLIGENT DESIGN

RABBI CHAIM Dov KELLER

II~ The Cosmic Question: Random Evolution or Intelligent Design? at is this Theory of Evolution, seem, more to a philosophical tendency which is supposed to be to interpret facts of natural history in W inferred from confirmable keeping with the anti-religious ratio­ data - the results obtained through nalist principles of the Enlightenment problems is the extreme logical observations and experiments that can Movement than to a strictly scientific improbability of pure chance produc­ be substantiated by other scientists"?2 approach based on empirical evidence. ing such complexity, and the math­ What is the empirical evidence? It was a complete departure from the ematical impossibility of spontaneous What follows is not intended to be a view of Newton, who not only held that generation producing life from a pri­ scientific paper, although the opinions of the universe is governed by an intel­ mordial organic <(soup."3 scientists will be quoted. It is being written ligent, orderly system of natural laws, The prominent astronomer Sir Fred based on an understanding of Torah as but who believed in a Divine Creator. Hoyle, in his The Intelligent Selection, received by mesora from our Chachamim Darwin completely negated any intel­ attacks Darwinism on a number of through Rabboseinu Harishonim ugedolei ligent order in the universe, and theo­ fronts, among them that "natural selec­ Ha'acharonim and on principles of sound rized that biological organisms evolved tion could never have brought about logic from the perspective of one who by chance from "lower" orders of plants the two thousand enzymes necessary rejects the scientists' claims to being the and animals to "higher" orders. And for life." sole guardians and decisors of truth. It is the mechanism by which they evolved written only to strengthen the emuna of was what he called Natural Selection those who already know the truth, and to or, as it came to be called, "Survival of WISDOM WITHOUT possibly dispel the uncertainty of those the Fittest." INTELLIGENCE? who have doubts, while assuring them According to his theory, organ­ that they don't have to feel stupid if they isms evolved over millions of years he Chovos Halevavos already reject the evolutionists' claims that all life by minute random mutations which addressed the problem. He -vegetable and animal - evolved from a gave them a survival edge over the less Tspeaks of those who believe one-cell blob of protoplasm, and that fit. Eventually, claimed Darwin, these that the world came about by chance man is the descendant of apes. mutations actually changed one species without a Creator Who planned and For a more comprehensive discussion into another that would supposedly formed it. of the scientific issues, the reader is urged be even fitter. The strict Darwinian It is a wonder in my eyes how a to see Rabbi Yonoson Rosenblum's article theory of minute mutations over long healthy human being in his right in this issue. periods of time proved untenable for mind could think this. If this per­ many evolutionists and was replaced son would hear of someone saying by what is called Neo-Darwinism -the that a water wheel, the simplest WHAT IS THE THEORY OF same idea that new species evolved mechanical contrivance to irrigate EVOLUTION? randomly by chance mutation, but a small field, had come about by by macro-mutations - suddenly, or in itself, without some one who had arwin developed his theory of much shorter periods of time. designed it and put it together, he evolution in the first half of This theory has also come under would consider him the greatest of Dthe 19th century, due, it would heavy attack in recent years by repu­ fools. How could he allow himself to ' 2 See Court's definition of science on previ~ table scientists (not only by Intelligent ous page. Design advocates). One of the main .(published ~ '~"··· 1996). ~ ,,, .... "'"' ~ """" I

10 THE JEWISH OBSERVER ======·------·-··------·-

think this same thought concerning ever in recorded history been evidence to be an intellectually fulfilled athe­ this whole wondrous world with all of one species changing into another? ist," explains why the very large gaps of its creatures exhibiting the great­ Why have we not seen any significant in the fossil record actually favor est of wisdom? How is it possible to mutations of new organs or limbs or creationism. He writes: say that it all came about without new species in recorded history~ 4 [All schools of evolutionists] ... the plan of a Master Planner and Darwin admitted that the fossil would agree that some very impor­ without an intelligent all-powerful record was incomplete, but predicted tant gaps really are due to imper­ Being? that the fossil precursors would be fections in the fossil record. For It is well known that in things found. Although the evolutionists example the Cambrian strata of which are not intelligently designed, claim that there is evidence from the rocks, vintage about 600 million one can never find anything which fossil record for evolution) after close to years, are the oldest ones in which has any sign of wisdom. If one spills 150 years of seeking, there still remain we find most of the major inverte­ ink out on a blank sheet of paper, is huge gaps. brate groups. And we find many of it possible to expect that an intel­ In May, 2000, there appeared an them already in an advanced state ligent sentence will result? (Sha'ar article in The Boston Globe describ­ of evolution, the very first time they Hayichud ch. 6) ing paleontologists' fossil discoveries appear. It is as though they were just The scientists speak of all these in southern China, which made great planted there, without any evolu­ mutations as being the work of Nature problems for the Neo-Darwinists. It tionary history. Needless to say, this - and Nature is by definition without seems that many fossils of species appearance of sudden planting has intelligence, for tbat would be "super­ and animals without any evolutionary delighted creationists .... The only natural:' For having no intelligence, antecedents appeared "suddenly" in a alternative explanation of the sud­ Nature surely does smart things. If geological period where they were not den appearance of so many complex one listens to the evolutionists, they expected. animal types in the Cambrian era is are continually showing good, sound, It quotes Eric Davidson, a genet­ divine creation, and both [schools purposeful functions resulting from all icist at the California Institute of of evolutionists] would reject this of these "mutations:' But the purposes, Technology: "Neo-Darwinism is dead." alternative. they say, are all unintended, and just Of course, the Neo-Darwinists will But it is not only the gaps in the happened. This defies human logic. have none of this. As one Chinese news­ fossil record that raise serious doubts Charles Darwin himself said: paper wrote in describing the fossils in the theory. Where are all the live To suppose that the eye with in southern China, "In the beginning, missing links? The evolutionists tell all its inimitable contrivances Darwinian Evolution was a scientific us that fish evolved into amphibians, for adjusting the focus to differ­ theory. In fact, Evolution changed into amphibians into reptiles, reptiles into ent distances, for admitting dif­ a religion." True believers don't give up birds. But obviously, all reptiles did ferent amounts of light and for their religion so quickly. not turn into birds. If evolution is an the correction of spherical and To illustrate, committed Darwinist, ongoing process, then there should still chromatic observation could have Professor Richard Dawkins of be forms of animals that are interme­ been formed by Natural Selection the University of Oxford, who said diates between these species. They do seems, I confess, absurd in the high­ that evolution "made it possible not exist. est degree. (Origin of the Species, To sum up, evolutionary theory does C. VI.) 41.y:;n M. Lang D.v.M., Ph.D., Associate Professor not really meet the "self-imposed" stan­ of Medicine and director of the Dysphagia Research Laboratory of the Medical College of Wisconsin, dards of the scientific community: wrote: "Darwinism is based on aln1ost no data, fails l. There is no hard empiric evi­ WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE? to answer many basic questions, and is contradicted dence from which to extrapolate ret­ WHERE ARE THE FOSSILS? by many observations. Yet many scientists put it on roactively the "origin of the species." the level of Isaac Newton's theory of gravitation. "While any child can prove the existence The hoped-for evidence from the hat is the empiric evidence of gravity, no scientist has ever observed any fossil record is still unconvincing after for this theory of evolution? species turn into another. Even the best exam­ 150 years. Not much. Fossils of certain ples of Darwinis1n, like antibiotic resistance 2. It is based on the illogical assump­ W of bacteria, are adaptations, not speciations. species of animals are found in certain Staphylococcus does not turn into streptococ­ tion that order, complexity and intel­ strata, others in different strata. Does cus when it becomes resistant to penicillin. ligence can emerge randomly and from that prove that these animals evolved "In addition, no Darwinian mechanism no intelligence. How can one possibly from those animals? There are strong accou~ts for the evolution of a closed system like imagine the human brain with its similarities between different species the DNA-protein cycle. DNA is needed to form proteins, but proteins are needed to form DNA. billions of cells, marvelous functions, of animals. Does this mean they all Therefore, Darwinism is not falsifiable, ... and is and human intelligence itself being have a common ancestor~ Has tl1ere a behef syste1n no different from rehg1on." "evolved" from no mtelligence? I ------~ M A Y 2 0 0 6

3. If there is empiric evidence based capable of having them. But one thing on one another. Each has its source of on observable facts, it leads in the is for sure. This is not the answer. nourishment provided by other crea­ opposite direction. Fish give birth to tures or plants or minerals. And all of fish, reptiles to reptiles, mammals to the creatures are dependent on immu­ mammals, birds to birds, and all of the THE BIG PICTURE table laws of physics and chemistry ... same species and sub-species. If we talk on the marvelous availability of air and of "nature," nature as we see it tells us n the other hand, if one looks water ... on unchangeable, predictable that no creature reproduces a creature for true empiric evidence, it cycles of the perpetually moving heav­ of a different species. 0 all points to an Intelligent enly bodies - sun, moon and stars. And 4. There are no possible experiments Designer. All of the talk in the debate all of this in wondrous harmony. If that's that can "prove" what happened in the between evolutionists and creationists is not empirical evidence, then there is no pre-historic past. One cannot replicate of specific examples of complexity: the such thing as empirical evidence. "chance" with humanly designed experi­ eye, the ear, the blood clotting system, As one of the sages quoted by the ments. Such experiments have been etc. Let us step back and look at the big Chovos Halevavos ( Sha'ar Hayichud, ch. tried - i.e., to bombard fruit flies with picture. Every last living creature in the 10) said in his prayer: "My G-d, where x-rays - and despite all the resulting world - and there are millions of vari­ can I find You? But where can I not find 1nutations, mostly deformities, the fruit eties of plants and animals - exhibits You? You are hidden and cannot be seen; flies remain fruit flies. extremely complex orderly design and but everything is full of Your' 5. If no Creator was involved, the reproduces itself. Each is a perfectly big unanswered question is: Where did contained system of parts and organs life come from? The "natural" answer composed of myriad parts-of chemical, How DEEP ARE YOUR suggested amounts to spontaneous gen­ physical, and electrical elements, and THOUGHTS eration, which has been disproved by connections. And all these organs and modern science. parts in each creature are all interde­ any intelligent people fail to We do not have all the answers to all pendent. And all of the creatures in the understand this. And this very of the mysteries of Creation - nor are we world are in some way interdependent M phenomenon - the human

liave read, loved, and been inspired Mishnas by the exciting new dassic on the Derech Hachaim and teachings ALRaV of the great Gadol who made .1'\.11aron Turali Lisfunali a reality in America.

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' bemg's ability to reject the simple propo- and to Noach directly, who passed it on Hashem Yisbarach Himself. sition that order and purpose and intel- to his children. The yeshivas of Sheim The Rambam, in a letter to Rabbi ligence do not come about by chance- is and Eiver were the transmitters of this Chisdai Halevi Hasefardi ( Teshuvos Ve'igrei also part of the Divine Plan. A human unbroken chain of truth to the Avos, who HaRambam), writes: being cannot create something that is in turn passed it on to their children. "You should know that there is a level orderly and purposeful and cunning in More important, both the Rambam of knowledge above the level of the phi­ such a way as to hide the fact that some and theKuzariengaged in the refutation of losophers and that is nevu'a - prophecy. intelligent person had a hand in it. The the idea of KadmusHaolam-the"steady Prophecy is a different world, and there, more chochma involved in its creation, state" theory, which says that the universe no proofs or discussions are relevant:' ... the more impossible does it become to always existed. And both say essentially The prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu was the say It just happened. Yet, we hear talk of the same thing: that above and beyond sof nevu'a - ultimate prophecy - and a universe much more orderly and com- any "proofs" is the prophecy of Moshe there is no level of prophecy higher than plex, and exhibiting a wisdom impossible Rabbeinu who received the entire Torah his.And since this is so, how is it possible for a human to duplicate - and people from "Bereishistill le'einei kolYisroel;'from to bring proofs? lllJ tell us it was all without design and just happened! Rabbi YoseifLeib Bloch, the Telzer Rav, explained this with the verse in Tehillim (92:6,7) "How great are Your works, Hashem; Your thoughts are extremely deep. The ignorant man does not know nor does the fool understand this." How great are Your works - demonstrating such wondrous wisdom. Yet how deep are Your thoughts- You have the inscru­ table wisdom to do what a human being cannot do. You have concealed Yourself to the extent that the fool does not understand this, and thinks it all just happened. And this was for THEVORT • The menu for the seuda is the profound purpose that a human .- ·rtie ·vai-i ·ce.1e6;at0 ion · ii ·t;i ·tie limited to 3 courses followed by a being should have free choice. For if discontinued. The L'chaim (held at regular dessert. Hashem had not concealed Himself the time that the engagement is • No Viennese table and no bar. - despite the fact that His Hand was announced) should also not turn in everything - man would have no into a Vort. THE MUSIC choice but to realize that there was THE WEDDING a Creator and that he must submit : ·.A. banci. may.con~isi of a·,n~~r~~;n himself to His will. ; ·F

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111. The Attempted svnthesis 01 Torah and Evolution

s we have said, there is no conflict between true science and Torah. troversyabout Evolution, Creationism AThe conflict is with the scien­ and Intelligent Design, the RCA notes tists who have arrogated to themselves that significant Jewish authorities as believed by the masses. the role of the sole arbiters of truth have maintained that evolutionary After nodding to the "authentic and have established their own religion theory, properly understood, is not respected voices that take a literalist posi­ that precludes anything not material incompatible with belief in a Divine tion,'' the RCA announces its official posi­ and quantifiable. The basic premise of Creator, nor with the first two chap­ tion that Judaism has a history of diverse "science" as defined by the scientific ters of Genesis. approaches to the understanding of the establishment is to completely ignore any There are authentic, respected Biblical account of Creation. How long is "supernatural" explanation for anything voices in the Jewish community that that history? When did evolution become in the universe. take a literalist position with regard the secret ofMa'asei Bereishis and when The basic premise of Torah is that to these issues; at the same time, did the age ofthe earth become a question Hashem is above nature and not only Judaism has a history of diverse necessitating the new understanding that created, but rules the world and guides approaches to the understanding of a day of the six days of Creation might be its destiny. These two points of view are the biblical account of creation. As a longer period of time? diametrically opposed, and cannot be Rabbi Joseph Hertz wrote, "While Of course, the age of the earth is very synthesized without doing extreme dam­ the fact of creation has to this day important for the theory of evolution age to one, the other, or both. remained the first of the articles of because minute or even more significant And this brings us to another stage the Jewish creed, there is no uniform mutations could not possibly produce of this discussion: The response to this and binding belief as to the manner of new species in a few thousand years controversy by certain elements of the creation, i.e. as to the process whereby -proof being that we have not seen any­ Orthodox community who would do the universe came into existence. thing of the sort in recorded history. But just that - synthesize evolution and The manner of the Divine creative the Torah speaks of six days of Creation! Torah. Instead of proclaiming without activity is presented in varying forms No problem. The days are long periods of equivocation that there is a Creator and and under differing metaphors by time - like hundreds of millions of years Designer, they take this unsubstantiated Prophet, Psalmist and Sage; by the long. And even though the chronology illogical theory, which in its true form is Rabbis in Talmudic times, as well as of the Torah is quite clear that from the based on randomness and no Creator, by our medieval Jewish thinkers:' creation of man unti1 today there are and attempt to tailor it to fit into the Some refer to the Midrash (Koheleth only 5766 years - no problem. That's not Torah and tailor the Torah to fit it. Rabbah 3: 13), which speaks of G-d necessarily so. "developing and destroying many worlds before our current epoch." STATEMENT OF THE RCA Others explain that the word "yom" in NOT TORAH AND NOT ...... Biblical Hebrew, usually translated as SCIENCE n December 27, 2005, the "day," can also refer to an undefined Rabbinical Council of America period of time, as in Isaiah 11: l 0-11. ut all of this presents huge prob­ Oissued a statement clarifying its Maimonides stated that what the lems. Because reading evolution I view on this matter: Torah writes about the account of Binto the Torah is not Torah and L CfiWrtffi<'o _ _,"b~roo ··-·····======~0~~~~~~~======-=-=-i

it flies in the face of peshuto she/ mikra Jewish and non-Jewish commen- nature ofthings, could provide faultless r -the simple meaning of Torah. And it is tators have been freely drawn upon. anticipations of sciences still unborn. contrary to our mesora and all the sources "Accept the true from whatever source If by a miracle it had provided them, in Ghazal that deal with Mdasei Bereishis. it comes" is sound Rabbinic doctrine without a miracle they could not It is not science because it departs from - even if it be from the pages of a have been understood" (Balfour). the scientist's definition of science, which devout Christian expositor or of an (emphasis added) cannot consider supernatural causes for iconoclastic Bible scholar, Jewish or In other words, He Who gave us natural phenomena. non-Jewish. the Torah, could uot, chas veshalom, In the context of the present contra- Unfortunately, he seems to have for- have anticipated the great wisdom of versy of Evolution vs. Intelligent Design, gotten or ignored the Rabbinic dictum: Darwin! such statements give the extremely unfor- "If someone tells you that there is wis- Of course, as a believing Jew, Rabbi tun ate (albeit incorrect) impression that

I A DAY IS A DAY What is the significance of Shabbos written in the Torah and passed on from as the seventh day of the week if the six Adam through Sheis, Enosh, Noach, any who have weighed in on days were billions of years long? Was Sheim and Eiver to Avraham, Yitzchak the subject of Evolution vs. Shabbos also of such long duration? and Ya' akov and to Moshe, and was at the M Intelligent Design are very The Fourth Commandment given on time of his writing 4500 years. He points concerned with what they call the "lit­ Har Sinai is: out that if a number were just made up, eralist position:' This is most probably Remember the day of Shabbos even by agreement of only ten people, because they wish to distance them­ to sanctify it. Six days shall you the secret would soon get out, and there selves from the Conservative Christian labor and do all your work. And would be many who would seek to dis­ Right who have been actively promoting the seventh day is Shabbos for prove it. And here we have a number that Intelligent Design. They are obviously Hashem your G-d .... For in six days is attested to by a whole people-millions more afraid of Biblical Literalism than Hashem made the heaven and the of Jews all over the world - and there is they are of indirectly supporting the earth and the sea and all that is in no disagreement! teaching of G-dless evolutionary theory. them and He rested on the seventh Of course, the Kuzari is talking of his What they call literalism, we prefer day. Therefore, He blessed the day time. This mesora is still carried on in to refer to as peshuto shel mikra - the of Shabbos and sanctified it. our time in all of our calendars that list simple, undistorted understanding of Can we seriously consider this an this year as 5766 according to Torah. Our Torah according to our mesora. allegory for a period of billions of kesubos (marriage contracts) are written Let us examine the sources in Torah years? Is this the lesson the Torah is with the date counted librias ha' olam Shebiksav and in Chazal that shed light on teaching us - the greatness of G-d that - from the creation of the world. Shall the opening chapters in Sefer Bereishis. He took six, long, undefined periods we correct our calendars and rewrite We have an accepted rule of Torah, of time to create the world? our kesubos? "Ein mikra yotzei midei peshuto - The The Torah also writes simply and Unfortunately, we now have Jews written Torah does not depart from its specifically: questioning the age of the earth. But simple meaning;' unless there is an over­ And Hashem finished on the that does not change the fact that until riding reason to understand it otherwise. seventh day His work which He had the recent past) this was a universally When the Torah speaks about "one day" made, and He rested on the seventh accepted fact and this is our mesora. - "the second day"-" the third day;' etc., day from all His work which He That universally accepted historical facts they are not "undetermined periods had made (Bereishis 2,2). can be doubted, we see illustrated in our of tin1e:' In each case, the Torah says: There was a co1nplete cessation time, when there are those who deny the "Vayehi erev vayehi voker - There was of creative activity in the physical Holocaust while people are still walking evening and there was morning:' If these sense - and the world was then given around with serial numbers on their periods are million or billions of years, over to the rule of the natural laws arms. what is the evening and what is the morn­ that Hashem had set up during the There is no question that the cha­ ing? And what has the Torah told us? If six days. Contrary to evolutionary chamim, who were in the direct line of there are no definite lines of demarcation theory, there was nothing new created mesora going back to Moshe Rabbeinu at between these units of time, then they in the material world after the onset Har Sinai, had no other understanding are one long time continuum, and we of Shabbos. of the days of Creation than our normal have been told nothing. The Rishonim The Kuzari (I: 5788) writes, as proof days of the week, and no other under­ (see Ram ban, Bereishis I :3 and Rashbam, of the Creation in seven days, that the standing of the age of the Earth than the ibid. 1:4) understand them simply as seven-day week is universally accepted one stated in Torah. 24-hour days, and the Gemara Chagiga all over the world from China in the The first Mishna in Kesubos tells us: (12a) lists among the ten things created Far East to Islands of West. Where did "Besula niseis leyom harevi'i - A virgin on the first day" middas yam umidas lay la this come from, if not the accepted is to marry on Wednesday:' Bar Kapara -the measure of day and the measure of tradition from Adam Harishon that the explains (Kesubos Sa) that this is so that night,'' which Rashi explains as "24 hours world was created in seven days? the marriage should be consummated between both of them,'' and brings as on the night that follows, which starts a proof" Vayehi erev vayehi voker, yam the fifth day, when Hashem blessed the echad- and there was evening and there THE NUMBER OF YEARS SINCE fish. The Birkas Hachama-"oseh ma'asei was morning, one day."6 CREATION Bereishis" - the bracha we recite once in 6 Rabbi Shimofi Schwab·,~in-h;-,-Se-lected Wriiings 28 years, when the sun comes back to (p. 25 l ), points out that even though each of he Kuzari (!:44-48) also writes that the same place that it was when created the days of Creation was - as Chazal tell us - of the number of years from creation - is recited on Wednesday, the fourth day 24 hours' duration, what had transpired could well appear to us as though it took millions of Tis universally accepted by Jews all of the week, when the sun was created. years. over the world without exception) as is ( Orach Chaim 229: 2) 16 .~-___J ------·----·-----·--··-~--·-··-·=-iTHE JEWISH OnsERVER ------·--·--·----- . - ·--·-··--·------

ROSH HASHANA - WHEN This, the Ramban ( Vayikra 19, 19) mean to fool us by calling millions of ADAM WAS CREATED says, is the reason for the prohibition of years a day with evening and morning, '! kilayim-of trying to crossbreed animals and speak about distinctly separate spe­ abbeinu Nissim, in his commen­ or plants - because Hashem wants each cies, when they actually all evolve from tary to the Rif on the Mishna species to continue as created, according one blob of protoplasm by mutation? R n the first chapter of Maseches to its own kind. If this is all an allegory What is more, the Chachamim Rosh Hashana - which states that man for evolution, the words are meaningless. (Rosh Hashana Ila) tell us that Rabbi is judged on Rosh Hashana - asks why There is no such thing as an exclusive Yehoshua ben Levi said: "All of the this is so. He answers, quoting the Pesikta "min - kind"; they're all offspring of a creations of Bereishis were created beko­ in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: "The common ancestor. masan, leda' atan, letzivyonan. According world was created on the 25th of Ellul, It's one thing to talk of allegories. It's to Rambam and Rabbeinu r:hanane~ this and Adam, the first man, who was the quite another to turn the pesukim upside means in their full height, with their full completion of the world, was created down so as to convey a meaning which intelligence, and in their full beauty. on the sixth day, which was the first day is the opposite of the truth. Did Hashem In their full height- completely grown of Tishrei:' He then goes on to quote the Pesikta as to the exact chronology of Adam's ~ n'\'.l) • 1ViiD • Tl')'.J. creation, hour by hour - till in the sev­ BETH MEORASH GovoHA ~ enth hour, Hashem put in his soul; in LAKEWOOD the eighth hour, He placed him in Gan Eden; in the ninth, He commanded him; in the tenth, he sinned; in the eleventh, he was judged; and in the twelfth, he was May 1,2006 granted mercy. So his children are judged Rabbi Shmuel Bloom on that day. Executive Vice-Presiden~ Agudas Yisroel of Amenca ··.· And this is why we observe Rosh 42 Broadway, Suite 1400 Hashana as the Day of Judgment. New York, NY 10004 Dear Rabbi Bloom, _,., the past months to prevent y· I for the tireless effort milt.le over I am writing to thank Agudas h isroe l ·1 of Beth Me. crossing over from one species to the next rC'-- rfc - and they were all created at the stage 41 R3.bb~ A~n Kotler when they bore fruit with seeds in it. Chief Executive Officer Every one of the different classes and Beth Med.rash Govoha

species of fish, birds, crawling things, . and animals is also bid to, and does, 617 SIXTH STll.HT. l.AKIWOOD, appear lemino, lemineihem - according RAB~I AARON KOTUR NSTlTU i~N~JiOB~'iO!~T,~<~C7~32~!~36~7~·!0~6~0~F~"~(~73~2~)3~6~7-~7'~~~~~-~cC~ ~; to its/their kind. '--~~.2!11111111111111111111111111111111 . .

17 r= ·----=MAY=2006 _· .. -1 i (and thus the fruit trees could produce it before the masses:' (For a clear under- same token, when we are confronted ' fruit immediately); with their full in tel- standing of the Rambam's statement, see with scientific theories that challenge I ligence-all animals possess some form of Mishna Torah, Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah our mesora, we do not have to invent i intelligence - it was with their full adult IV: 10-13.) new understandings of the Torah. ' intelligence and not that of infants; and It is simply unthinkable that the For the ma'amin - the believing Jew in their most fully beautifully developed Rambam meant what the RCA state- - it is enough to understand that these I' state. Rashi explains leda'atam - they ment implies - that the whole account challenges will ultimately be resolved. were asked if they wanted to be created, of Creation is an allegory, possibly for But in order to strengthen this emuna, I and they agreed - which means that the evolution. it is important to realize that all of these I heavenly angels that are the guardians of The reference to the Midrash quoted seeming contradictions are based on the various physical creations were asked. in the RCA statement that speaks of theories, not established facts. This is Betziryonam- Rashi teaches, means: each "developing and destroying worlds" is the case regarding all the methods of I according to its unique flavor and form; not really going to help too much with calculating the age of the earth. The decidedly unevolutionary! either the theory of evolution or the only basis for the various theories of the I age of the earth. The simplest interpre- scientists is what they see today. They ' talion of this Midrash as most widely then extrapolate retroactively, sometimes THE RAMBAM - As INTENDED understood is that it pertains to "Ma for billions of years, assuming that the I · · · · · • · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · • · · · · · · · lephanim" (Mishna, Chagiga 11 b) - that conditions they see today prevailed in the which was before the six days of Creation, far distant past- at the time of Creation. into which we are warned not to delve. This is not necessarily so. During the six In short, it has nothing to do with the days of Creation - almost by definition present world, and is beyond our com- - all the laws of nature were not yet set prehension. lt has nothing to do with the in their final form. creatures of this world and nothing to do The Rambam said as much long with the age of this world. Those worlds, ago: whatever they were, disappeared.' ....--~ - -·-·- - - -·-··-·· -··-·-·-~-·-··-·· -··--···-··-··-·-··--~-.. T H E JEWISH OBSERVER

of the world - just as all the creatures were created in their fullest complete form (fruit trees bearing fruit, etc.), so, too, did Hashem create stars to shine on earth, and He created them from the beginning with their light reaching earth. By the same token, counting tree Child Development Specialists rings is not useful if they were created fully grown. Helping Infants &Toddlers To sum up: The accepted understand­ with Developmental Delays and Disabilities ing of Ma'asei Bereishis according to our Chachamim, Gedolei Harishonim, and Achronim based on the mesora Specializing in small batim for a perfect fit. from Moshe Rabbeinu who received it directly from Hashem on Har Sinai is kipshuto: Hashem created the world in six days according to the order written in the Torah. Each creature was created in its 1nost complete form, and made to reproduce lemino-according to its kind. As the Rambam states, something tl1at is received from Moshe on Sinai is t11e high­ est level of prophecy, and in the world of nevua, all "proofs" are irrelevant. There are obviously secrets of Creation G~:t a· ce1.,1 ·p.hone that were also received on Sinai and 1 passed on by neviim and chachamim fro,m:t~,~·9,~op Ie by word of mouth to select individuals throughout the ages. you.(an trust I Evaluation and a full range of But these do not in anyway change the Therapeutic Services provided simple understanding of Torah. at our Center or in the privacy of your home Bilingual Services Available A NEW "TRADITION"? ...... a Se!1'ices are provided based on the child's needs as detennined by the NYC Early Intervention s it thinkable that because Darwin Program. The Early Intervention Official will came along less than two hundred ._· --4 ~ detennine the location and provider of any needed services. This Early Intervention years ago with a completely illogical Total Communication I solutions Program is funded & regulated by the NYC Dept theory, which still lacks any solid empiri· ofHealth &Mental Hygiene. cal evidence, is based on a denial of any 1·81r6·TALK·N·SAVE involve1nent of an Intelligent Creator, (1 ·866 ..825-5672) Executive Offices: and seriously questioned by competent 4228 Tenth Avenue scientists, that we should completely e-mafl: [email protected] reinvent the Torah? Customer ser~ice now ovoHoble Brooklyn, New York 11219 It is of vital importance that we from 9:00 o.m. -12:00 midnibhl, Israel time! understand that this question touches *Celftom Certified Agents Queens Office: ikrei emuna - the very basic principles of our faith. We are not speaking here 70-14 14/st Street of whether the scientific knowledge of Groups/Missions Flushing, New York 11367 the chachamim was completely cor· (GET SPECIAL RATES/SERVICES) rect. That is a question that should not Call toll free from USA/Canada: SERVING BROOKLYN, QUEENS, have been, but unfortunately has been, 1-866-403-8454 STATEN ISLAND & MANHATTAN , recently raised with extremely unfortu- ~h:::::;~::o:~;,:~:~ --·-·-·---·-·-·--·--·-·-·-· www~ha'~gH·~_d r---~------·------~------M A Y 2 0 0 6

speaking of the reliability of Ghazal and the Chachmei Ha Torah of all generations in their understanding of Torah. Have the would-be synthesizers of Torah and science created a new "1radition" that leaves the Chafetz Chaim, the Vilna Gaon, the Rishonim, the Gaonim and the Tanna'im and Amoraim outside the true tradition? Did they all not under­ stand the Torah? Chas veshalom! And for what reason? Because sci­ entists have come up with an unproven theory with many holes in it, based on chance, and their rejection of a Creator, are we now obligated to explain that theory with our own theistic twist? And how will this help us? We still won't be accepted by the evolutionists, who refuse to listen to anything of the sort. If we believe in Hashem the Creator, why can't we believe that He created the world as the Torah and Ghazal tell us: with Asar a Ma' amaros - Ten expressions of His will? Did He have to take billions of years - and have the intended final purpose of Creation - Man - emerge fro111 an ape? VVhat was wrong with what we have believed in for thousands of years: that Adam was yetzir kapov she! Hakadosh Baruch Hu- the handwork of the Holy One Blessed be He?

IN THEIR HEART OF HEARTS, THEY KNOW

t is hard for me to accept that the rank and file of the membership of the I RCA actually believe what the state­ ment implies. I have reason to believe that many of them were not even aware of the statement. I would like to believe that the overwhelming majority of religious Jews, even further in addressing the controver- reconcile Genesis with evolution. whether they call themselves Chareidim, sy of Evolution vs. Intelligent Design? For In a letter to President Richard M. Modern Orthodox, or Centrists, in their their Annual Book Project, they actually Joel and Chancellor Rabbi Dr. Norman heart of hearts know that they are not assigned as required reading for all fresh- Lamm, I wrote: descendants of apes. There are many men Bully for Brontasaurus, by Stephen In your newsletter, former Yeshiva simple, well-meaning, Orthodox Jews Jay Gould - the foremost exponent of College Dean, Norman Adler, founder whose rabbis belong to the RCA Are they neo-Darwinian evolution. He was a reli- of the Book Project is quoted: "One now to accept this statement of the RCA gious agnostic who considered evolution, of the goals of the Book Project has as the official Orthodox position? including man's descent from apes, an always been to foster a spirit of toler­ And what are the students and sup- established fact. In the book, he clearly ance that is essential to the vision of porters of Yeshiva University now to ruled out the possibility of an Intelligent Torah Umadda, on which Yeshiva believe when Yeshiva College, the under- Designer or Creator having initiated the University was founded:' (Emphasis L~school of the university,went process, and dismissed any attempt to added.) Is tolerance of the denial of the that lack knowledge and understand­ challenges of Aristotle and his adherents. first of Rambam's principles of faith ing of the nature of science and We survived Communism and Haskalla also essential to the vision of Torah therefore believe everything claimed - and we will survive Evolution and the Umadda? Is exposing 18-year-old in the name of contemporary science. Big Bang and all other cosmological college freshmen to the work of They believe that our generation is theories that today are in vogue and an extremely gifted writer of pure the epitome of wisdom and that all tomorrow will be on the dust heap of apikarsus your idea of synthesis? that is in Heaven and earth has been scientific theories. Unfortunately, one can almost guar­ revealed to modern scientists-who If the scientists who are true believ­ antee that any average intelligent from their exalted, high perch look ers in their religion of scientism can be young student, whose school has down on previous generations. religious agnostics, I can be, in regard made this book mandatory and who In contrast, someone who knows to their theories, a scientific agnostic, reads it carefully, will be adversely and understands thoroughly the because I have more to base my faith influenced. study of science can acknowledge on - on nevua of Moshe Rabbeinu, from Would it not make more sense to the many genuine, proved accom­ true revelation on Har Sinai - than they assign [an English translation of] the plishments of science in matters that do for their religion, which is based on Chovos Halevavos Sha'ar Habechina were concealed from previous gen­ the assumptions of the finite intelligence or Rabbi Avigdor Miller's books, erations. However, he is also fully of mortal men - whom they believe in which he discusses the Torah's aware of the limitations of science. descended from apes! approach to evolution, to set these In particular, he is aware of the great We cau not bring people closer to young minds straight in a mixed up number of issues that are not proven Yiddishkeit by adapting it to whatever is world, than to completely confuse fact but that are primarily hypotheses currently acceptable. You do not adulter­ them with material they are totally and guesses. Many of these theories ate the product in order to sell it. If you unequipped to handle? are very doubtful speculations upon do so in deference to presently accepted This is not synthesis. It is an invita­ which other speculations are built scientific theories, you'll have to con­ tion to spiritual schizophrenia!' (As of daily. That which today is praised stantly change Torah and Yiddishkeit. this writing, I have not yet received any and glorified as if it were the absolute This is totally unacceptable. response to my letter.) truth is questioned tomorrow and Let us bring people closer to Hashem then rejected:' (S. R. Hirsch, "Essay and His Torah by proclaiming "Hashem on Aggadah;, Hama'ayan, quoted in Hu Ha'elokim, the Al-mighty is the Ba' a/ RABBI SAMSON RAPHAEL Hamodia) Habira- The Master of the universe. He HIRSCH ON SCIENCE Today we have the Big Bang theory created it and He guides it. He created - with problems. Then there is another man betzalmo ubid1nuso - in His own f our first allegiance is to Torah - do cosmological theory- the String theory image - with superior intelligence and we have to turn it upside down and - coming aloug. All of this should not free will, and an immortal soul. And He I distort the words of Ghazal to fit into cause us either elation or consterna­ gave us a Toras Emes - a Torah of truth the current politically correct scientific tion. that teaches us how to live our lives as theory? We, the descendants of Avraham, human beings and as a holy people. Scientific theories come and go. As Yitzchak and Ya' akov, have always been And let us pray that bizechus ha'emuna Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch said, at odds with the popular ideas of the yikansu hagaluyos- In the zechus of true It is only the uneducated masses rest of the world. We survived the chal­ emuna our people will be gathered in SB-;:rtthe spi~itual schi~ophrenia does nO.t end lenges of Avoda Zara. We survived the from Galus speedily in our days. lliJ there. The latest edition of YU Review, the official Yeshiva University magazine, in an article titled, "This Thing Called Love;' actually showcases the EDITORIAL CLARIFICATION research of a professor of neurobiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine together with co­ researchers from other universities on the physiol­ K'vod HaTorah has always been uppermost on the agenda of Agudath Israel. ogy of love. To quote fron1 the article: "There nlay One may say that it is its raison d'etre. As its official publication, The Jewish be an evolutionary reason for this .... This brain Observer is certainly equally committed to this goal. The article "Halachic system probably evolved for an important reason - to drive our forbears to focus their courtship Decisions" (JO, Jan.-Feb:06) called for more tolerance and understanding energy on specific individuals ...." Now this goes between groups that have honest disagreements in halacha, ideology or com­ beyond theistic evolution. This is the standard munal practices. Differences of opinion do not justify harsh criticism or violent approach of Darwinian evolution of the human expression. Some readers interpreted it to imply a dismissive attitude toward species even after it has become human, even after G-d has supposedly, according to theistic Gedolei Yisroel. This was certainly not the intention of the author nor of the evolution, become involved in the process by magazine, and we truly regret that any such inferences were made. investing the ape with a human soul.

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DR. CHAIM PRESBY

The Third Word

THE FIRST Two ARE IN and complexity of what was observed in There is generally not a scientist today the heavens. The universe was always in who does not believe in some of the very believing Jew looks around at existence, and so it shall be for eternity, implications of the first two words of the our wonderful world and sees the they claimed. After all, how could it be Torah. This has come about due to what Eentire, sweeping cosmos as well as otherwise? Where could the one hundred is known as the "Big Bang:' Unfortunately, every minute detail testifying to the open­ billion stars of our own Milky Way galaxy, the scientific community complicates the ing words of the Torah, "Bereishis barra or the one hundred billion other galaxies, simplicity of the yeish mei'ayin (ex nihilo) Elokim ... In the beginning G-d created:' each populated with a similar number of implications of the Big Bang by introduc­ It has taken the rest of the world several stars, have originated? ing time factors ofbillions of years which thousand years to come to the beginning If a believing Jew had been asked the are at variance with the view of the world of an understanding of the first two words same question, he would have answered as 5,766 years old. But abandonment of of the Torah - "Bereishis barra." with the first words of the Torah, indi­ "the steady state" approach is unto itself If one would have asked scientists just cating an origin of the universe at some reason to take positive note. And we have some forty years ago, "Where did the finite time in the past. But he would then emuna that the issue of the timing of the universe come from?" one would have have been told by the scientists: "If that is Big Bang, and the subsequent age of the been told that it was always here. The what your Torah says, it is simply wrong universe, will also be resolved. "steady state theory of the universe" was - it does not agree with what we have to just about universally held as an expla­ say. And if the first words of your Torah nation of the mind-boggling enormity are wrong, how can you trust anything A BLIND SPOT

DR. PRESBY. OF HIGHLAND PARK, NJ, lS A WORLD· else that it says?" How many Jews were RENOWNED SCIENTIST WHO HAS SOME 2;00 PAT· lost to this argument and others that fol- Ipersonallyworked at the same labora- ENTS IN THE FIELD OF PHOTONICS AS WELL AS low the same line - If it doesn't agree with toryas the two scientists, Arno Penzias 2;00 PUBLICATIONS ON THE TOPIC. ME WAS A us, it must be wrong! The believing Jew, and Bob Wilson, who won the Nobel RESEARCH SCIENTIST AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AND AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS AT on the other hand, would respond, "Ani Prize for discovering the astrophysical fHE BEIX.ER GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SCIENCE OF ma'amin be'emuna sheleima - I believe (cosmic) phenomena that suggest the YESHIVA lJNJVf.RSITY. FORMERLY ASSOCIATED WITH with complete faith. Even though I do Big Bang, and carpooled with one of BELL LABORATORIES, AND THEN WITH TERABEAM not yet understand how to answer your them from our common home town, CORPORATION AS PART OF A LUCENT·TERABEAM objections, I have such unshakable faith in Highland Park, New Jersey. Penzias and A!.LIANCE, HE JS CURRENTLY A FREE-!.ANCE CONSUL- h TANT AND srF.Nos ttis DAYs IN TALMuorc sn.JoiEs. the truth of the Torah that I must suspend Wilson ad constructed a large radio A SENIOR LECTURER FOR GATEWAYS, HE IS ACTIVE my resolution of the difficulty." telescope horn antenna, shaped, interest- [ 1N Tttr:rn KrRuvwoRK. This picture has now totally changed. ingly enough, like a shofar, to detect the L--·---···------··-·-·--·-····--· ·--·-···-··-···-····-···-···-···----··-··-·-·-·-····--·-·-···-···~--.. THE JEWISH OBSERVER

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faint signals emitted by satellites that were optical fiber systems a reality was getting But that situation is also changing. then first being used for communications. the light efficiently from a tiny laser into What they found was that wherever they an equally tiny optical fiber. The best of pointed the antenna, they picked up the the techniques then in use were only able CLASH IN IDEOLOGIES same noise-like microwave radio waves. to collect less than fifty percent of the light. These turned out to be exactly what was It was like throwing away half a tankful of merica is embroiled in an Intelligent predicted by other scientists: the cooled­ gas. We tackled the problem and Baruch Design debate. We find it difficult down remnants of the enormous energy Hashem came up with a method of col­ AJo understand how one can view radiated by the moment of Creation. This lecting 100% of the light. What we did was the beauty, complexity and wonders of result has been confirmed over the past to fabricate a specially shaped lens on the Creation without reactingwitl1 "Ma gadlu three decades to higher and higher levels very tip of the fiber by laser micromachin· ma'asecha Hashem - How great are Your of precision by satellite measuren1ents ing, and it became affectionately called the works, Hashem - me'od amku machshe­ of what is called the cosmic background "Presby Lens." vosecha - How deep are Your thoughts!" radiation. Among the interviews I had by the Indeed, Intelligent Design posits that Now that the world as a whole finally media, when we released information on biological life in particular is so complex accepts the first two words of the Torah, this development, was a request by the that it must have been designed by an is there hope for acceptance of the third American Physical Society to write up the intel1igent source. - "Elokim"? Is the world ready to see that invention in their general membership Intelligent Design is nothing new. For the Borei Olam is behind the Big Bang? publication. They said that they had only centuries, thinkers from Plato to Aquinas I shared the dais with Bob Wilson at a one question to ask. When they arrived, to Newton all argued that the natural program for a group of distinguished they wanted to know where I got the idea world manifests the design of a preex­ visitors to Bell Laboratories. Bob Wilson for this advance, and they said that they istent mind or intelligence - a Creator. spoke about the Big Bang and his Nobel would base the article on my response. I How, then, did we come to the situation Prize, and I spoke about my own field of asked them if they would write it up as I of the world not being ready for the third research, optical fiber communications. described. They said, "Of course. That is word when it seems that, even from their When the visitors left, I said to Bob, "I the purpose of the article:' perspective, it was there all along? have never asked you this before. You can "Well;' I said, "what if I told you Refusal to see the third word arose dur- explain the development of the universe the idea came from Heaven; it was ing the late nineteenth century when many from the Big Bang on, but what do you G-d·given?" scientists began to reject this previously think gave rise to the Big Bang itself?" The silence and looks on their faces simply accepted fact. The Enlightenment Bob answered succinctly: "I refuse to were stranger than can be described. They awakened in Western civilization a rev- think about it:' said, "Dr. Presby, please stop kidding and erence for man's power of reason, and Bob is not alone. If one puts the tell us where you got the idea." our ability to understand and control chronology factor aside and focuses on I responded that I already had, and our world. Scientists could not bear the the fact that this "great discovery" of asked if they would write it up. They said, thought of a natural phenomenon that modern science is alluded to in the first "No way. If we did, you would lose all of could not be explained. At the forefront two words of the Torah and how correct your credibility. You have an international was Darwin's Theory of Evolution by those words have been all along, then reputation with some 200 patents and natural selection, which portrayed nature what about the third word and the rest an equal number of publications. If we as a self-creating and self-existent machine of the Torah? Could it be that they are wrote this, people would think you are - one that does not show any evidence correct also? Could it be that there is a a 'crackpot; and you would be finished of design by a directing agency or intel­ Creator and He is communicating to me professionally. Believe us, it's for your ligence. The "appearance" of design, it was how I should be living? If so, I am going own good:' insisted, was illusory, since the mechanism to have to change my lifestyle, and you ((Well, then," r said, "the interview is of natural selection could explain the know, I like the way I am living now. So over." ... And it was. observed complexity of living things. I just won't think about it. Why did they have such a hard time accepting my answer? I was essentially just telling them an idea expressed DESIGN: No ILLUSION THE St LENCI NG ADDENDUM in Targum Onkelos on the passuk "Ki ••••••••••• '''' '''.'' •• ' •• '.''.' • • • • • · · • • • • • · • • · • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Hu hanosein lecha koach la' asos chayil Intelligent Designers argue that that is is same reluctance to see the - Hakadosh Baruch Hu provides one no longer the case. The existence of the i 1ird word was brought home to with the ideas to be successful" (Devarim enormous complexity of biochemical T:me with another incident at Bell 8,18). Writing up my answer, however, systems, such asvision,bloodclotting,or I I Laboratories. One of the major issues would be accepting the third word, the cell, let alone the molecular basis oflife Lnally facing ~searchers m making- ~hich. they were not qmte y~ready for. ·-itself, cannot be explained i~ Darwinian I !=-- MAY 2006 CHEVRA OSEH CHESED fashion. But what are the alternatives, and Theory of Evolution, such as its inabil­ where do we as believing Jews stand? Is ity to explain the complexity of living OF AGUDATH ISRAEL Intelligent Design the answer? What about things - or, for that matter, their very Creationism? Can we believe in Evolution? origin - inconsistencies and deficiencies BURIAL PLOTS For answers, let us look within. in the fossil record and the shortcomings IN ERETZ llSROEL "Anochi Hashem Elokecha - I am of the mutation and natural selection Interment in a Shomer Shabbos Hashem, your G-d" ( Shemos 20,2). mechanisms, scientists religiously cling Beis Olam near Beis Shemesh " Veyadata hayom vahasheivosa el to the theory as fact, and unfortunately levavecha... Ki Hashem Hu HaElokim Please phou 'or Write to: propagate it as such. The following inci­ - And you shall know today and bring Chewa Oseh CheSed Of i\jjudatb Israel dent I experienced will shed some light into your heart that Hashem is G-d" on this stance. 42 Broadway, New tori!, NY 10004 (Deva rim 4,39). (212) 79'1-9000 "Yesod hayesodos ve'amud hachachmos leida sheyeish sham Matzui rishon mamtzi "WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?" kol nimtza ...- The foundation of founda­ tions and the basis of wisdom is to know y main research area is photon­ Do you that there exists a first cause responsible ics (light), and I am always on for all that exists" (Rambam, Hilchos M the lookout for examples of l

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' r=THE CREATIONIST APPROACH perception of an unbridgeable gap THE UNACCEPTABLE ANSWER between science and religion. At the ederal judge ruled recently that same time that Enlightenment phi­ f I had been asked in the interview t was unconstitutional for a losophies and scientists were expand­ discussed above, "Dr. Presby, how does ennsylvania school district to ing the bounds of human reason, the I your fiber microlens work?" and I had present Intelligent Design as an alterna­ Catholic Church stood firmly opposed responded, "G-d said it should;' I would tive to Evolution in high school biol­ to the results of any inquiry that chal­ not have gotten any patents or published ogy courses because it is a religious lenged its narrow understanding of the any papers. Of course, I firmly believe G-d viewpoint that advances "a particular Bible. The lines were drawn. Religion is behind the science of its working, but version of Christianity:' The judge said stood opposed to rational inquiry. how it works is described by the laws and that the school board lied to cover up Judaism got thrown in by association. equations of optical physics, the uncovering their religious motives, and concluded Judaism, however, is based on wisdom of which is a kiyum hateva, which Hashem that Intelligent Design was not science, and education. Understanding only has allowed us to understand. but rather "Creationism relabeled," with strengthens and reinforces our belief. Will we eventually, with G-d 's help, its roots in Christian fundamentalism. We are not limited by the dogmatic discover some hitherto unsuspected prin­ The Supreme Court has already ruled approach associated with a literally ciple that has been at work in helping to that Creationism, which relies on the understood Creationism, since we are produce the vast wealth oflife-forms that Biblical account of the creation of life, dealing with a deep secret that can we see before us? Only time will tell, and cannot be taught as science in a public not be comprehended from the verses until it does, neither Evolution, nor limited school. If, indeed, it does not qualify as alone. Nor do we close our eyes and Creationism, nor "Designerless" Intelligent science, then we would hope that it find skip the "how" of Creation, postulating Design are the answers for a believing Jew. some other place in the syllabus. It is of that the Almighty did it, and that's that. Intelligent Design and Creationism are inestimable value for children in public From our perspective, whatever sci­ relevant and valuable in making the world schools to somehow be exposed to the entific theories are eventually held to aware of G-d's presence. Will they help the Divine Intelligence behind the design of account for the way things came about world come to realize that Hashem is the cosmos. in the world, they will always suggest behind it all, and agree with our bottom While Creationism does recog­ only "how" G-d created. They never line? We pray that they will. After all, it took nize a Creator, it brings some unwel­ supplant our bottom-line recognition two thousand years for the world to learn come baggage with it. The thinking of G-d being the Creator Himself, and p'shat in the first two words. The third, of Creationism has led to the current all that that implies. be' ezras Hashem, is sure to follow. IE

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I. How OBJECTIVE ARE to reexamine some fundamental impression. That is the basis of the SCIENTISTS? problem-such as whethertheworld prohibition against a judge first hearing · • · · · · · · · · · • · · · · · · · · • · · · • · · · · · · · was created for a purpose .... Let us the testimony of one party without the o twentieth-century Torah fig- assume that the person possesses a other party being present. And if the ure dealt more extensively with keen intellect, is well-educated and Tanna'im and Amora'im felt that they N the challenge posed to Torah well-informed. So far as character were subject to the influence of even a by science, or more accurately, the cult is concerned, however, he is pretty tentative conclusion, how much more of science, than Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer average.He has never seriously tack- so those who, in Rabbi Dessler's phrase, Dessler. He sought, above all, to under- led his moral failings .... [Now let have never seriously tackled their moral mine the popular image of the scientist us say that] we are talking about a failings. as some sort of demigod, possessed of verycomprehensiveproblem .... The Thomas Kuhn, in his classic work, methods that permit him to unravel all solution will determine whether he The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, the secrets of the universe. will be obliged to struggle constantly demonstrates how difficult it is for sci- In a representative passage, Rabbi with his baser desires ... or whether entists to discard an accepted paradigm, Dessler pointed out that scientists are he will live with no restraints on his no matter how many unruly facts that no less subject to the influence of per- desires apart from those he deigns to paradigm fails to account for, so long as sonal bias than those engaged in more place on them .... Can we seriously a new paradigm has not yet emerged. mundane tasks: believe that he will arrive at a true Like the rest of us, scientists are reluctant Think of a person who, by the conclusion merely by the exercise of to move from a position of purported power of his intellect alone, wants his intellectual powers! knowledge to one of ignorance. Stephen

RAea1 RosENBLUM, wno uvcs IN JERUSALEM, is A That bias can taint the thinking of Jay Gould, until his death considered 1 coNTH1sunNc Eono1~ To Tnr: lf:w1sr-1 onsERvr:n. scientists should hardly surprise us. one of the leading neo-Darwinian I-IE is ALso 01REcToR oF THE lsRAEu 01v1s10N oi: Our Sages warned many times of the theorists, discusses in 171e Structure of I AM EcHAo, nm AGt•nATt-1 lsRAE1.-iNsPrnEo EoucA- near impossibility of removing the Evolutionary Theory the ways in which noNA< oorR,Arn '"""r AND MErnA "''°'·""" effect of even the most fleeting first social and career mcentives cause sci- I L ___ ._____ ------·--- ~ ------··------·----·-----·-·------M A Y 2 0 0 6

enlists to fail to fully grasp the import the world's leading science journals, Shapiro's conclusion: of the data they observe. Nature, were forced to withdraw 15 The stem cell scandal reminds Cases of outright fraud also alert papers published by German scientist us ... that science, far from being a us to the fact that scientists are all Jan Hendrik Schon on the physics of purely objective pursuit, is colored too human. The case of South Korea's nanoscale transistors. by the predilections and biases of Hwang Woo Suk, who claimed to have In a recent Commentary article on the its practitioners. Empirical truth is cloned eleven different stem-cell lines Hwang scandal, Kevin Shapiro specu­ still out there to be discovered, and using embryos cloned from genetic lates that Science may have been less scientific induction ... is still the material of people of different ages than thorough in reviewing Hwang's best means we have to discover it. and genders, is a case in point. Hwang work because it dovetailed nicely with But what truth we discover depends, published two papers in the prestigious their ideological opposition to President very often, on where we decide to peer-reviewed journal, Science, tout­ Bush's ban on government funding of look for it. ing his triumph. Subsequently, two embryonic stem cell research, a position Jonathan Wells, holder of Ph.D.s from years earlier, Science and another of supported by many religious groups. Yale and Berkeley, the latter in micro­ biology, details in Icons of Evolution how ten of the most iconic ('proofs" of Darwinian Evolution - "proofs" which are found in almost every standard biol­ ogy textbook - have long been known to be seriously deficient by experts in the field. And yet, they continue to be presented - including two cases based on outright fraud - in the textbooks as crucial elements of the Darwinian case.

II. THE KEY ROLE OF IDEOLOGY fubscribe~ or give a gift at these reduced prices: as much as 40% off the newsstand n no area of science does ideol­ price; the longer your subscription, the greater your savings. You and your family will benefit from the ogy play such a large role as in the many articles of information and inspira· I roiling arguments over Darwinian Each month, The Jewish Observer will tion that they cannot get anywhere else. Evolution - the theory that all spe­ arrive at your door, filled with the views of leading Torah thinkers on current Of course, this offer is unwnditionally cies have evolved through a process of issues ... ana[yses of Jewish events, focus on g«aranteedi you may cancel at any time trillions of random micromutations burning issues, inside reporting, interpretive and receive a full refund for all undeliv· sifted by natural selection. For tacti­ commentary,. uplifting biographies, infuri· ered copies, no questions asked. cal reasons, many supporters of the ating letters and illuminating responses ~ all within the covers of one magazine, S-0 order today, and the very next issue will Darwinian hypothesis prefer to down­ The Jewish Obser11er, be on its way to you as soon as possible. play the degree to which Darwinian Evolution is at odds with traditional monotheistic religious belief, arguing that science and religion exist on two cJ~bR SUbscriPtion Discount Certificate entirely different planes. 42 Broadway/New York. NY 10004 •Phone 212-797-7394 •Fax 646-254-1600 Some Darwinists, however, have been MoNEYni\cKGUARWrEE more candid. Richard Dawkins, perhaps !ffiir mtr reu;w1 fl.I f/Jlf lime _)'()11

,, J yrnr Yourrost - $}5 $40 You save to $141 DIG! . up fOXPIR~110NDMF 00 ally fulfilled atheist." George Gaylord ~·~I:~;'L:~ ~J~I E Simpson, another leading Darwinist, I 1 NAME 'Mo~-rH> S "fon1~11 prn:e rif/KI• SIS' \Im {'lllf! ~;;;[ ~~:,~;;;1,t:',1//~1;;~';;;';f/'i 11~'~\;~1 ; t,:{~'.~';;a,r;:!,~~l is the result of a purposeless and natural 1 (If' >IA t /IP TheJ<""hOb<publi>edmomh!v •r;/fcbn»ry •

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by and large how it has worked. I'm naturalistic account of the development plays the role of the prototypical scien- not exaggerating." of life is, as Eldridge put it, between , tist in Rabbi Dessler's example quoted Indeed, there are gaping holes in maintaining Darwin's theory, despite above, proclaiming, "A world strictly the evidence that one would expect if its notoriously poor fit with the facts,

I1 organized in accordance with mechanis- the Darwinian hypothesis were true. and positing models that require the tic principles ... implies that there are no Darwin's theory predicts a vast number "embrace of a rather dubious set of inherent moral or ethical laws:' of transitional types. But those transi- biological propositions." I Dawkins and the large majority of tional types are largely absent from the That scientists are willing to engage scientists would likely claim that their fossil record. Species and groups of spe- in such wild speculations, absent any 1 views are the outgrowth of overwhelm- cies appear suddenly in the fossil record mechanism explaining the large jumps ing empirical evidence. Yet, as the bro- rather than at the end of a chain of in developmental stages they postulate, 1 chure for the British Museum of Natural evolutionary links. Gould calls the rarity only shows how deeply engrained is their History's 1981 exhibit on Darwin noted, of transitional forms "the trade secret bias in favor of purely natural causes. I "Evolution by natural selection is not, of paleontology." The fossil record is Some form of Darwinian Evolution is, as strictly speaking, scientific, because it is largely one of species and groups of spe- Berkeley Law Professor Philip Johnson I established by logical deduction rather cies coming into existence fully formed, aptly puts it, the "creation story of sci­ than empirical demonstration:' remaining unchanged throughout their entific naturalism." In a 1981 lecture at the American history, and becoming extinct by virtue Darwin himself stated, "If it could he Museum of Natural History, Colin of some great catastrophe, not because demonstrated that any complex organ Patterson, the chief paleontologist at they were replaced by better-adapted existed which could not possibly have the British Museum of Natural History, descendants. been formed by numerous, successive observed that both Creationism and Admits Niles Eldridge, "We pale- mutations, my theory would absolutely Darwinian observation are scientifi- ontologists have said that the history break down:' But the fossil record fails cally vacuous concepts, which are held of life supports the story of gradual to provide, according to paleontolo­ primarily on the basis of faith. Patterson adoptive change, all the while know- gist Stephen Stanley, a single example related that he had once asked the mem- ing that it does not." Faced with the of "major morphological transition." bers of an evolutionary morphology poor fit between the empirical facts Moreover, leading prominent geneticists seminar at the University of Chicago to and Darwin)s theory, scientists face the and mathematicians have concluded tell him just one thing about Evolution unpalatable choice between maintaining that the number of necessary mutations that they knew to be true based on the theory or introducing the types of to produce complex systems, like human empirical evidence. The response was major leaps, or"saltations;' that Darwin sight, is impossible. a long and embarrassed silence. himself rejected as incompatible with A scientific theory, as defined by his theory. Karl Popper, must be falsifiable. When Despite themselves, latter-day THE INTERACTION OF MANY Einstein introduced his General Theory Darwinists have had to introduce SEPARATE PARTS of Relativity, for instance, he offered at major leaps into their account of the · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · • · · · · · · · · · · · • · the same time a series of bold predic- development of life. Thus, University Nor have the Darwinists shown tions based on the theory and by which of California genetICISt Richard how natural selection could it could be tested. Goldschmidt hypothesized that sta- have produced complex systems Instead of constructing such tests ble macro1nutations must somehow based on interaction of many separate for their theory, Darwinists start by be possible, and paleontologist Otto parts, where no single part would offer assuming the truth of the theory Schindewolf speculated that the first any comparative advantage by itself. and then looking for corroboration bird somehow hatched from a reptile The human eye, hemoglobin, the avian - a travesty of Popper's definition of egg. To account for the problems in feather, the poison of the blowfish (in science. Studies of the fossil record, the fossil record, Gould and Eldridge which neither the poison northe deliv- for instance, that fail to buttress developed a theory of punctuated equi- ery system would confer any advantage

1 the theory are deemed failures and librium, which again introduced large- absent the other) are just a few of the never published. Gareth Nelson of scale changes, in place of a long series large number of examples that cannot 11 the American Museum of National of micromutations. be explained. The best Darwinists can History describes the process by which The result, however, was to save offer in response are what Stephen I Darwinian "ancestors" are picked: Darwin only by rejecting his abhor- Jay Gould and his Harvard colleague 'I "We've got to have some ancestors. rence of saltations - i.e.) by introducing Richard Lewontin call "just-so" stories We'll pick those. Why? Because we a deus ex machina in the middle of his about how each of the postulated (but k w that they have to be there, and naturalistic theory. The terrible choice never observed) changes in each part of are the best candidates. That's facing would-be defenders of a purely the system conferred some advantage.

29 ------~--.. MAY. ----·----··----=-i 2006 ·-----·------·--·------

According to Darwin, whales, rats, far cry from proving that natural selec- quished. Note how that which was a human beings, dolphins and tigers all tion can create new species or account priori excluded at the outset is now descended from a common small mam- for the vast differences between different deemed to have been somehow dis- mal. But the claimed creative power species of mammals. proved. . for natural selection has never been The Darwinists' claim to have thor- All the efforts to rescue Darwinian observed. The argument for such a oughly trounced all rival explanations theory from its doubters cannot, in any power is based on wild extrapolation of the diversity oflife on earth is based event, rescue the dream of Johnson's from the observation of changes within on a piece of rhetorical legerdemain. "scientific naturalists" to explain every­ species as a consequence of changes in First step: Exclude all non-natural thing in nature without recourse to any the natural environment. 1 The fact that causes as a priori inadmissible. Second other power. The effort to preserve a different traits within one species may step: If Darwinian Evolution were purely mechanistic universe ultimately provide a comparative advantage in true, it would explain the observed breaks down over the origin oflife itself. certain circumstances, however, is a very taxonomic similarities between dif­ Sir Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of I The best-known exam.Pies of natural selectiOn ferent living things. Third step: Since DNA, was so frustrated by the impos­ supposedly at work are the experiments carried no alternative explanation currently sibility of explaining the emergence of out by Bernard Kettlewell with peppered moths exists to explain those phenomena, the first organic life that he concluded in northern England in the 1950s. Kettlewell Darwinism must be true. (This step, that it must have arrived by spaceship speculated that the changing percentages of to which Darwinists inevitably have from a distant galaxy. And philosopher dark- and light-colored moths in the peppered moth population had to do with changes in lichen recourse whenever the holes in the Antony Flew, the world's most famous cover on trees in the area, as a consequence of theory are pointed out, Philip Johnson atheist, recanted that atheism at the age industrial pollution, which, in turn, affected the astutely notes in his invaluable Darwin of 81 because of the conundrum of the relative visibility of the moths to their natural on Trial, is the equivalent of prevent­ origins of DNA. predators. Subsequent investigators determined, however, that the changing percentages were not ing a criminal defendant from pre­ Cambridge astronomer Fred Hoyle well correlated with changes in the lichen cover. senting an alibi until he can produce has described the chances of fashioning In addition, they found that moths almost never the real criminal.) Fourth step: Since a living organism by accident from the rest on tree trunks, and pictures sho\ving them Darwinism is true, all explanations pre-biotic soup as roughly equivalent doing so were almost certainly staged. See Icons of Evolution, pp. 137-57. based on non-natural causes are van- to that of a tornado sweeping through Apply your Rabbinic and Secular Degree toward a Master's Degree from Bellevue University.

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30 ·-----·--·-···------~-=-~-=--=--=-~··--~~~·-:-:-0~~~~-R------~ a junkyard and fashioning a Boeing 747. good example of the genre. Bloom cites into an afterlife lived in more sanitary Even the simplest one-cell bacterial cell experiments showing that even infants conditions, and thus were favored by makes a spaceship seem low-tech by attribute agency and intention to ani- natural selection. comparison. mate objects. That ability is crucial to Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Hoyle also discovered that carbon, the development of social understand- Natural Phenomenon, by Tufts University the basis of all organic life, could only ing. According to Bloom, the innate professor Daniel Dennett, is a vir- have been created in the original solar genetic tendency to see agency also tual compendium of this type of argu- pressure cooker because of the perfect causes human beings to find design in ment. nuclear resonance between two sets of the universe where none exists. Such "scientific" attacks on religion simpler elements. His conclusion: ''.A Responding to Bloom's article, one and morality have little to do with common sense interpretation of the reader shared the brilliant explanation science. They derive rather from what facts suggests that a superintellect has given by his college anthropology pro- Leon Wieseltier (no orthodox believer monkeyed with physics, as well as with fessor for the development of a "God- himself) terms "scientism;' in his The chemistry and biology, and that there gene": primitive people who buried their New York Times review of Dennett's are no blind forces worth speaking dead in order to prepare them for entry book. Wieseltier defines scientism as about in nature.»

Ill. POPULAR DARWINISM AND ITS PsEUDO·SCIENTIFIC OFFSHOOTS

he influence of Darwinism has OTHERS AND FATHERS ALIGNED SAVING KIDS long since penetrated into the Tpopular consciousness, and spawned new pseudo-sciences, such as sociobiology and evolutionary psychol­ uppori for Parents of Children·ln·Conf lict ogy, which attempt to explain every aspect of human nature as an outgrowth SERVICES PROVIDED: of a hypothesized ruthless struggle for existence. Popular l)arwinism, and its CONFIDENTIAL H01tlNE pseudo-scientific offshoots, properly belong more in the realm of the history Parent Support Groups of ideas than the history of science. The late Australian philosopher, David Yeshiva Liaison Stove, in a collection of essays gathered in one volume as Darwinian Fairytales: Selfish Genes, Errors of Heredity, and E-Mail Support Group Other Fables ofEvolution, links popular Darwinism to other 1nodern determin­ Sibling Support Groups istic theories, such as Marxian economic determinis1n and Freudianism. There STARR· Female Sibling Program is apparently something appealing, he notes, about doctrines that absolve us of Private Consultation responsibility for our lives. These doc­ trines, Stove points out, tend to arise in Referrals periods of Enlightenment, and to serve the cause of liberation, in particular, Educational Forums liberation from personal restraint and inhibition, undermining all traditional notions of morality. Evolutionary psychologists have of late turned their sights on religion. Yale psychology professor Paul Bloom, writing in Atlantic Monthly, provides a PINCHAS .M:ANDEL {(the view that science can explain all Over 50 ye11rs experience in Kvura in Eretz Yisrael human conditions and expressions," and Serving the North Amencan Public and Funeral Industry rightly terms it one of the "dominant ?Nl\:.J, 'flN rN 7111'.lfl /IN Vj7lj7 superstitions of our day." Personal responsibility throughout service - NOT JUST "PAPERWORK" ORIGINATOR OF THE PRESENT RABBINICALLY APPROVED METHOD Highly recommended by Gedolai Hador- Here and in Eretz Yisrael WHEN A STORY - ANY STORY - WILL Do 162S-42nd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11204 Day &N'ight phone: (718) 851-8925 or Darwinian social scientists, 1l'1''mii~m~p Vl"i7 - pi:i iNi mo::iv 'll~ ubiquity of something, such as Kavod Haniftar with Mesiras Nefesh and compassion for the bereaved family. Freligious belief, is proof of its TAHARAS llANIFTAR SHOULD NEVER BE COMMERCIALIZED evolutionary origins. As Dennett puts it: ('Everything we value ... , we value for reasons. Lying behind, and distinct from, our reasons are evolutionary reasons ...." It hurts That's a philosophical position, not a scientific theory. 10 c II For those convinced of that position, a story - any story - will do to estab­ I lish the evolutionary advantage. The anthropology professor's explanation is a good example. Starting with the claim that human beings are born with a tendency to see everywhere "agents • with beliefs and desires," Dennett con­ structs an entire speculative history of the development of religion. But as Wieseltier points out, all this is only "a fairy tale told by evolutionary biology," that amounts, for all Dennett's professed It hurts allegiance to experimentation and evi­ dence, to merely

------THE JEWISH OBSERVER

any event, share certain moral intu­ Indeed, he would give every parent constitutes a massive slander against itions bequeathed them by Evolution. the right to decide whether he or she the human race, as well as a distortion How do they prove these propositions? wished to keep a new baby or have it of reality that is readily apparent to any Through the observation that over 90% put to sleep. five-year-old. The Darwinian account, of test subjects answer the same to three for instance, flounders on widespread moral dilemmas posed by Singer and altruistic impulses that have always Hauser. IV. SOCIOBIOLOGY AND characterized human beings in all places These moral dilemmas hardly tested DENIAL OF ALTRUISM and all times. Nor can it explain why the outer limits of moral reasoning. some men act as heroes, even though I Examples: Must one save a drowning owhere is it clearer that by doing so they risk their own lives baby if one will get one's pants wet as a Darwinism is an alternate reli­ and therefore their capacity to repro­ I result? May we kill someone to harvest N gion, or anti-religion, rather duce, or why societies should idealize his organs and save five others? than a scientific doctrine, than in the certain for1ns of altruism and heroism. Moreover, the comn1onality of cer­ work of the sociobiologists. For socio­ How could such traits have developed I tain moral intuitions, as well as belief biologists, all human development, like or survived? in a Higher Being, is precisely what that of all other species, is the result of The traditional Darwinian answer is I Orthodox Jews would predict. All a ruthless struggle for existence. The that such traits as altruisn1 are but an mankind is obligated to observe seven iron law of existence is that genes seek illusion, or a modern veneer of civili­ I Noachide laws, even in the absence to reproduce themselves, and compete zation imposed upon our real natures. of Divine revelation. That obligation with one another in this regard. In the That answer) however, fails to explain assumes knowledge of these laws to words of the best known sociobiologist, how that veneer could have come about I be innate. If God breathed into man Harvard's E. 0. Wilson, "An organism in the first place; how could the first a part of Himself, as it were, it is also is only DNA's way of making more appeal to higher moral values ever I natural that every human being would DNA." have been made or heeded. Stove offers I have some awareness of Him, no n1atter That picture of human existence, perhaps the most compelling reason for how obscure. charges the philosopher David Stove, rejecting the views of those who deny Nor does comparing answers to moral dile1nmas establish that religious belief makes no difference in a person's I life. The true test of that proposition lies not in the area of values, which are "l'Wi, Vi/~¥ W~ ~-~~I I merely professed, but in that of virtues, which must be laboriously attained. The Hamidbar Wilderness Program litmus test would be how one behaves in will be running ' ' situations in which one's professed val­ this year's summer program ues run up against powerful desires. · for Junior High I As with so many of their Darwinian High School peers, the purpose of Singer and Yeshiva boys Hauser's evolutionary account is to July 5 ·August 16 j free us from the shackles of traditional reJigious belief and our comn1on moral I, intuitions. Singer's particular bugaboo j is the view that there is special sanctity . to human life - a view, he once told The j New York Tin1es, soon to be consigned , to the dustbin of history. For Singer, j humans are merely differently evolved j animals, possessing no souls, and with • Learn & connect with dynamic Rebbeim • Hiking, Jeeping, Wilderness Surl/i~al, ' no superior claims to those of anin1als. • Martial Arts, Rappeling, Leadership Training • Kumsitz, BBQ's, Kivrei Tzadikim, Ko j Both are nothing more than bundles • Masada, Ein Geidi, Dead Sea, Eilat & more. of various pleasures, and all pleasures For further information contact: Rabbi Yaacov Orimland Program Director J are morally equal. Thus, Singer finds DAVID STERN I j nothing to condemn about bestiality, 011·972·4-692-4894 or 718·360·8275 (local call to Israel) Former U.S. Marine Corps I ., and writes that a newborn baby has less [email protected] Combat lnstroctor I Early Registration Discount by February 15. L"'° lire-.. """~"d horn=• =-_J M A Y 2 0 0 6

the very existence of human altruism: despite the fact that they share the same if he had thought of it. Jn one passage, "I am not a lunatic." amount of common genes. Similarly, he even describes genes as immortal: In 1964, biologist W. D. Hamilton parents act more altruistically towards "[A gene makes the] leap from body to first expounded a theory explaining how their offspring than siblings to one body down the generations, manipulat­ much of what appears to us as altruism another, even though in each pair ing body after body in its own way and is merely genes' clever way of assuring there is an overlap of half the genetic for its own ends .... The genes are the the propagation of their particular gene material. If Hamilton's theory were immortals ...." pool via relatives that share that gene true, we should expect to find incest Writing in 1979, Professor R. D. pool. The preeminent modern defender widespread. In fact, it is taboo in almost Alexander made the bald assertion: of Darwin, Oxford University's Richard every known human society. Finally, " ... we are programmed to use all our Dawkins, popularized this theory in The the whole theory is predicated on the effort, and in fact to use our lives, in Selfish Gene. dubious proposition that animals, or production:' And yet, it is obvious to Among the predictions Hamilton their genes, can tell a sibling from a any child that most of what men do made is the following: "We expect to cousin, and a cousin from other mem­ has nothing to do with reproduction, find that no one is prepared to sacrifice bers of the same species. and never more so than at the present, his life for any single person, but that Sociobiology, Stove demonstrates, when large parts of the civilized world everyone will sacrifice it for more than is a religion, and genes are its gods. are becoming rapidly depopulated. two brothers [or offspring], or four half In traditional religion, human beings Confronted with these obvious facts brothers, or eight first cousins:' To which exist for the greater glory of G-d; in about human nature and behavior, Stove responds: "Was an expectation sociobiology, human beings and all sociobiologists respond by ascribing more obviously false than this one ever other living things exist for the benefit them to "errors of heredity." As Stove held (let alone published) by any human of their genes. "We are ... robot-vehi­ tartly observes, "Because their theory of being?" Throughout human history, men cles blindly programmed to preserve man is badly wrong, they say that man is have willingly sacrificed themselves for the selfish molecules known as genes," badly wrong: that he incorporates many those bearing no relationship to them, writes Dawkins. and grievous biological errors:' But the just as others have refused to do so for Like G-d, Dawkins' genes are pur­ one thing a scientific theory may never more than two brothers, even though poseful agents, far smarter than man. do, Stove observes, is "reprehend the each shares half his gene pool. Thus, he describes how the genes of a facts." It may observe them, or predict Here is a supposedly scientific the­ certain cuckoo that parasitically lays new facts to be discovered, but not ory bearing no relationship to any its eggs in the nest of the reed warbler, criticize those before it. empirical reality ever observed. Stove where the hatched cuckoos get more The only question that remains is offers a number of further common food because of their larger mouths how could so many highly intelligent sense objections that only serve to and brighter crests, have manipulated men - at least intelligent enough to write highlight this point further. Parents and tricked the reed warbler. That is books - say so many patently false and commonly show more regard for their something no man would have thought stupid things. Rabbi Dessler would have children than their children for them, of, or have been capable of engineering known the answer. IB Not just a cheese, a tradition... Haolam, the most trusted name in Cholov Yisroel Kosher Cheese. A reputation earned through 25 years of scrupulous devotion to quality and kashruth. With 12 delicious varieties. Haolarn, a tradition you'll enjoy keeping.

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34 THE JEWISH OBSERVER

AVROHOM BIRNBAUM

HIGHLIGHTS AND ANECDOTES FROM THE LIFE OF THE GERER REBBE, THE PNEI MENACHEM, RABBI PINCHOS MENACHEM ALTER, J"!lt

IN COMMEMORATION OF HIS TENTH YAHRZEIT

bachur entered the Rebbe's spoke with him saw a fatherly smile, room with a heavy heart. full of humility and feeling. He sensed A He was burdened by the fact that his problems had become the that he lacked yiras Shamayim (fear Rebbe's problems, and he accepted of Heaven). He wanted to improve the advice given humbly by the but couldn't think of a practical way Rebbe without airs. The feelings to do so. After much thought, he were so genuine that one would wrote a kvittel asking the Rebbe for momentarily forget that he was advice. He was surprised to see the in the presence of a giant of spirit Rebbe's deeply pained expression. who had the entire written and Turning to him with utter simplic­ oral, revealed and hidden Torah ity and humility, the Rebbe, sighed, on his lips. "What can I do? I, too, am lacking On the other hand, despite this that which you request; I also suffer feeling of incredible warmth and from a lack of yiras Shamayim .... closeness, everyone knew that they "Let us both heed the advice of were in the presence of an individ­ the Gemara that states, 'When one ual who was completely removed Javens on behalf of his friend and from the mundane, and who was as needs the same thing, he will be comfortable in the celestial worlds as answered from Heaven first: I will in those down on earth. therefore daven for you and you This was the amazing paradox felt daven for me. In this way, perhaps in his presence - a feeling of closeness we will both merit increased yiras enabling one to unburden himself, Shamayim." combined with fear, yiras harome­ One of the most striking aspects of mus that stemmed from recognizing the Pnei Menachem's personality was a greatness one simply could not the tremendous feeling of closeness fathom. that he radiated. Despite his greatness, his genius, and deveikus in Hashen1, the Rebbe was able to "come down" to PILLAR OF TORAH the level of every individual. Whoever e have much to learn from RABBI BIRNBAUM, AN EDUCAlOR LIVING IN LAKEWOOD, tS A COLUMNIST FOR HAMODTA A:-JD the Gerer Rebbe's legendary A FREQUENT CONTRIBUTOR TO THESE PAGES, MOST W greatness in learning and RECENTLY WITH HIS ADAPTATION OF AN ADDRESS love of Torah. During the last period BY RABBI MATISYAHU SALOMON: "THE ESSIONCE OF of his life, when he served as Rebbe KABBAl.AS 0L MAI.Cl-IVS 5J-IAMAYIAI' (OCT. '04). and a leader of Chareidi Jewry, he L--~------35 ------··~-·-·---·-··· M A Y 2 0 0 6

would often come home late at night (truth), told the convention organiz­ Reb Moshe told those around him, "I after having spent hours advising ers) "I don't know how to introduce simply could not believe what I was people. His exhaustion was such that him. If I say the regular words of hearing - he knows the entire Torah, the he could barely walk up the steps to praise bestowed on a talmid chacham, entire Torah, mammash, reminiscent of his house unassisted. Upon entering perhaps that would be considered the Rogatchover Gaon:' the house, he would head straight to disrespectful. After all, he is the son of This story has an interesting sequel. his table as a hungry, starving person the famed Imrei Emes and the brother Years later, when the Rebbe's own son, runs to his food, where he would liter­ of the Gerer Rebbe (the Beis Yisroel). Rabbi Aryeh Alter '>"Oil, was living in ally "devour" tens of pages of Gemara. On the other hand, I do not want to America, his father asked him to go Clearly, the Gemara was his "oxygen," introduce him with more than the to Rabbi Moshe Feinstein to test for rejuvenating him after devoting hours customary praise because I sin1ply do semicha. When Rabbi Alter approached to counseling people and commiserat­ not know him ...." a family member of Reb Moshe to ing with their personal suffering. One organizer proposed a simple schedule the test, he was told that unfor­ In 1971, the relatively young Rosh solution. "Let's arrange a short meet­ tunately, Reb Moshe's state of health Yeshiva of Yeshiva Sefas Emes was ing between Rav Moshe and the Rosh precluded him from testing for semicha. asked to speak at the yearly convention Yeshiva before the convention, where Reb Moshe overheard the conversation of Agudath Israel of America. Rabbi they can get to know each other." Reb and asked who it was that was seeking Moshe Feinstein, ';>"Oil, was asked to Moshe agreed. The "short" meeting semicha. When he was informed that the introduce him. Reb Moshe, not only ended up taking far longer than antici­ young man's name was Alter, he imme­ a gaon in Torah but a gaon in emes pated, and when the Rosh Yeshiva left, diately asked, "Who is your father?" When he heard who Reb Aryeh's father was, he exclaimed, "When I HAT PLUS stopped testing for semicha, I never Hats • Shirts • Ties •Accessories 1neant to exclude the son of such a great person!" (This is similar to the Your#I Stop • Each Daf is read, laws of nedarim, which dictate that if for translated, and explained one makes a neder and does not realize that the neder also excludes a great man, Quality Hats slowly and clearly in just 20 minutes the nederis considered null, because had he known, he would never have made WE ALSO ORY CLEAN LARGEST SELECTION • $4 per tape (plus S&H) & RESHAPE HATS OF CHOSONIM TIES IN • Subscription rate: $3 per tape the neder.) Rav Moshe then tested the (All work done an premises} BROOKLYN (plus S&H) young man and granted him semicha. 1368 Coney Island Avenue At the end, he said, "I only made this (71 S) 377-5050 exception in honor of your father, who is a gaon olam." A Chassid who was familiar with the Rebbe's love for rare sefarim once brought mishloach manos to the Rebbe on Purim along with a copy of the sefer, Mishnas Chacham on the For careful attention to your Rambarn, written by Rabbi Yoseif individual needs, call us today! Hoichgelerenter, an early Acharon. This sefer is very difficult and can­ (845) 354-8445 not be understood unless one invests considerable time and effort. The presenter of the sefer was GEFEN » --1. also one of the few who per­ formed the coveted task of cleaning FI~AO~~AL ,._, the Rebbe's sefarim in advance of Pesach. One week after present­ Reg;>tNed Mo''9'9' B'oke~ ..... NYS Dept of Banki-ng •• ing the Mishnas Chacham, he was

Corpora1eHe•dquan~rs· 2164 V1nmy Blvd., •'.>tatenl•l•nd, i'IY l0Jl4 cleaning the sefarim and happened Phone 718"983-9272 • 914"MORTGAGE to pick up his recent gift to the 973-MORTGAGE • 212-983-1000 Rebbe. The margins were filled Loans arrange with the Rebbe's comments from

36 THE JEWISH OBSERVER -==-i ==------~ I Biographical Outline i The Gerer Rebbe, Rabbi Pinchas I Menachem Alter, was the youngest son of his father, the Gerer Rebbe, Rabbi Avrohom Mordechai Alter, 7"lll, known as the Imrei Emes. He was born on 21 Tamuz, 1926. Two days after his birth, his uncle, Rabbi As a child with walking with his father circa 1935. On his father's left is his older brother, the Gerer Rebbe, I the Beis Yisroel Moshe Betzale!Alter, wrote to his son, Rabbi Motte! Alter (later Rav Pinchas beginning to end. Anyone familiar ment through overcoming negative Menachem's father-in-law), "Maze! I with the Rebbe's schedule that week character traits. An especially great tov upon the news of the birth of a knew that he had had no time dur­ emphasis was placed on the midda son to my brother, the Rebbe, w""'11>! i ing the day for the in-depth learn­ (trait) of ayin tova-looking at people May this child bring refaaand yeshua ing required to learn the Mishnas in a positive light. In Yiddish, this trait to all of Israel:' Chacham .... is referred to as "farginnen," which, From his youth, he became bonded I Upon assuming the mantle of loosely defined, means overcoming to his father with every fiber of his Rebbe, a heretofore hidden facet of his one's negative emotions, and rejoic­ being, rarely leaving his father's side. I Torah knowledge became known. His ing in the success of others. It was Herememberedeverymoveandevery weekly shmuessen (discourses), deliv­ clear to all that he was determined word of his father, and never tired ered at his tisch on Friday night and at to make it easier on the Chassidim of repeating the words of Torah and Shalash Seudos were masterpieces of by emphasizing the ideal of a person guidance that he received from him. the hidden and revealed Torah, replete looking out for his friend, seeking to World War II broke out less than with quotes from the entire gamut lighten his burden. Soon, many seem­ two months after his bar mitzva, and I of the early mussar (ethical) works, ingly untouchable "customs" in Ger he fled with his father and family to classical Chassidic texts, and sefarim began to change. Warsaw. The family miraculously of previous Gerer Rebbes. The genius The usual enthusiastic - sometimes managed to escape Poland during the I and wide range that his shmuessen over-enthusiastic - jostling amongst first year of the war, and arrived in I comprised seemed almost dwarfed by Chassidim for a place where one could Yerushalayim in the spring of 1940. the way he delivered them. Not only observe the Rebbe was revisited. The In 1957, he was appointed Rosh i did the words emanate from a heart ideal of ayin tova, giving another a Yeshiva of Yeshiva Sefas Emes. For pulsating with ahavas Hashem and chance to see, became a catch phrase. decades, he educated generations of ahavas Yisroel (love of Hashem and Anyone standing in the front rows dur­ talmidim with his brilliantshiurim and I love of fellow Jews), but as his voice ing davening would not stand in the personal example.As time progressed, rose and fell, the words seemed to be front row again for the next two tefillos, his brothers, suocessivelytheAdmorim demanding and challenging, pleading so that others could also have a chance ofGer,entrustedhimwithmanypub­ I and arousing concomitantly. to observe the Rebbe. A rotating system lic duties. He was intimately involved A bachur once asked the Rebbe was instituted, enabling each yeshiva in Agudas Ytsroel and served on its if he should switch to a yeshiva in to con1e to Yerushalayini for separate Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah. His public I Yerushalayim so that he could be in Shabbosos, thereby deriving maximum addresses became well known as a close proximity to the Rebbe. The spiritual impact without having to fight source of authentic Torah hashkafa. Rebbe replied, "For that, you don't massive crowds of other bachurim. The With the passing of his brother, have to learn in Yerushalayim. He phrases" ayin tova" and "thinking about the Gerer Rebbe, the Lev Simcha, who is close to Torah is close to the another's needs before one's own" 7"lll, on 7 Tamuz, 1992, he assumed Rebbe) and vice versa) too." became the ideals that the Chassidim the mantle of leadership of Gerer knew the Rebbe demanded. Chassidus. Three and a half years A Jew once complained to the later, on 16 Adru; 1996, after con­ EMPHASIS ON Rebbe about various difficulties ducting his Purim tisch and giving INTERPERSONAL CONDUCT that were plaguing him, and asked over divrei Torah, he went home and the Rebbe for a beracha. Looking at suddenly passed away in the middle uring his short period oflead­ him, the Rebbe asked, "How is your ofthe night, leaving Gerer Chassidim ership, he placed tremendous bein adam lachaveiro conduct?,, and all of Kial Yisroel saddened and D emphasis on inculcating the The person was forced to admit orphaned. ideals of interpersonal self-improve- that his interpersonal relationships MAY 2006

could use improvement. he was scared, and the Rebbe sooth­ at the time, only one brother had The Rebbe said, "The passuk ingly assured him that everything been available, and he had not been tells us, 'Let us fall into the Hand would certainly be alright, and his able to comfort the second brother. of Hashem and not into the hand of parents would return shortly. He The people accompanying the Pnei man' - the Hand of Hashem refers encouraged the boy to go back to Menachem tried to discourage him, to sins of bein adam laMakom. sleep. When the boy replied that he saying, "The Rebbe is so tired, the With repentance, these sins can was too nervous, the Rebbe began steps to that apartment are so more easily be forgiven by G-d, but to tell him stories. difficult .... Does the Rebbe really 'in the hand of man I should not The next morning, when the have to go? He was already there fall' - for transgressions of bein father found out that his son had once ...." adam lachaveiro, it is much more called the Rebbe and kept him on The Rebbe replied, "When do I difficult to obtain forgiveness from the phone for so long, he ran to have the opportunity to fulfill the others." seek forgiveness. The Rebbe replied mitzva of gemilas chessed with my with a smile, "A home in which it own body?" A young boy once awoke in the is taught that whenever there is a On the way back from the visit, middle of the night to find that his problem one calls the Rebbe is a a collector stopped the Rebbe and parents were not home. Apparently, good home." asked for a donation. After feeling a medical emergency had pulled . . . in his pocket and realizing that he them away. Concerned and scared, The Rebbe undertook a difficult had no money, the Rebbe pulled the boy remembered that when­ trip to undergo a medical proce­ out his checkbook and, despite ever there is a problem, one calls dure. On the way home, he told the tumult around him, asked the the Rebbe. He went to the tele­ those accompanying him that he collector to whom he should make phone book, looked up the Rebbe's would like to pay a nichum aveilim out the check. He then wrote the number, and called. Somehow, the visit to two brothers, Chassidic check, gave it to the collector and Rebbe himself auswered the tele­ Rebbes who were sitting shiva. He continued on his way. In the car1 phone. The boy told the Rebbe that had already been to the shiva, but the Rebbe explained, "I did not go for the Rebbe himself - he is r.------~ a great tzaddik and would surely have forgiven me. Still, both he Are You Moving? and his brother are Admorim and IS YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS PRINTED live in harmony. I was afraid that INCORRECTLY ON THE JO MAILING LABEL? the Chassidim of one might mis­ We need your help to ensure proper delivery of the Jewish Observer to your home. takenly attach importance to the Please attach current mailing label in the space below, or print clearly your address and fact that I visited one and not the computer processing numbers that are printed above your name on the address label. other. So I pushed myself to return. I see that it was the right thing to do because Ghazal tell us, 'Mitzva gorreres mitzva- One mitzva leads to another11 and upon leaving, I Affix old label here was given another opportunity to do chessed by writing a check to tzeddaka."

Name ______~ A Jew passed away and left New Address instructions in his will that an City, apartment be given to a Gerer ______Zip Chassid who was a Torah scholar. State, The will stated that the Gerer Date Effective ------­ Rebbe should decide which Chassid Send address was worthy. It was a respectable The Jewish Observer apartment that could spell finan­ changes to: Change of Address cial rescue for a family in need. 42 Broadway, 14th Floor, ~ew York, NY 10004 The Rebbe asked one of his close Please allow 4-6 weeks for all changes to be reflected on your mailing label. We will not be responsible for back issues missed unless you notify us 6 weeks prior to your move. .J confidants to compile a short list of L ------poor, distinguished talmidei cha- 38 T H f: JEW I SH OBSERVER

chamim in need of an apartment. accomplishes nothing for the per­ The list was finally whittled down son who gets angry. The Talmud A poor, bitter woman who to two, both of whom had large says, 'He who is angry is akin to an seemed to think the entire world families and were destitute. idol worshiper.' My friend, Rabbi was responsible for her problems It was a difficult decision. The Nosson Lubart, would explain, 'Just once prostrated herself on the steps Rebbe turned to his confidant and as idol worship is an exercise in to the Rebbe's house and said she said, "Could you please find out futility, so, too, anger accomplishes would not leave until she would be which was endowed with greater nothing.'" permitted to speak with the Rebbe. intellect in his youth?" After check­ ing, it became clear that one had been born a genius, while the other -•-OUR STAND had progressed up the ladder of NOW YOU CAN Torah with determined hard work. One friend even related that as a PUT THE SPARK BACK youngster, he had once burst into tears, crying that "I will never be IN YOUR INSURANCE. able to learn!" When the Rebbe heard this, he decided in favor of Call me today to hear about these new the second one. "Torah," he said, optional features: New Car Replacement "is not just knowing how to learn, Accident Forgiveness and Deductible Rewards. but how much effort one invests in his learning." (718) 268-1700 Two days later, the confidant related, "I saw the Rebbe looking troubled, and then he said to me, 'I feel bad that the other ta/mid chacham lost.' The next morning, Martin Levy the Rebbe came to me with a big 103-20 METROPOLITAN AVENUE smile. 'A wealthy Jew approached FOREST HILLS me," Rebbe, I have already given a [email protected] Allstate. significant sum for the new Beis You're in good hands. Midrash, to Ichud Mosdos Ger, Call or stop by for a free quote and to the free-loan fund helping families with wedding expenses. Feature is optional and subject to terms and comlitions. Available in select states now and in most states by 1/31/06 (subject to regulatory approval where required). Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company: Northbrook, IL. ©2005 Allstate Insurance Now, I would like to give something Company to a special project of the Rebbe's choosing." When I asked him how Most of us have several areas that con1- much he would like to give, he pete for our tin1e and auenlion. When responded, "$100,000." I realized Life Balance these areas are in harmony, you will experience a \?1!>li1 nn1Jn - peace of right away that Heaven was sending A Life-Coach mind - making you a more effective, happier person. the funds to pay for the lion's share can help you In 2-3 months, using weekly private phone sessions you can learn to of an apartment for the second develop and effectively take control of your life. talmid chacham.,,, maintain a HOW MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE AND ENHANCED WOULD YOUR LIFE BE WITH BETTER LIFE BALANCE? wholesome WHY COACHING? ln1proving one's life n1eans making change; and A cheder teacher sought advice: balance people need support and structure to keep distractions and obstacles from "On what area of self-improvement between the swamping their dreains and goals. Coaching provides that solid framework should I focus?" important of support and structure. The Pnei Menachem answered, areas of I have over thirty years experience in helping people fulfill their dreains, have authored books, articles and produced cassette programs "The rule is that a person must your life. on this subject, and have taken special Life-Coach courses. strengthen himself in things that FREE OFFER - I would be happy to give you a free telephone session. Please are most difficult for him. For the call USA 845-352-1175 for an appointn1ent. Thank you. - MR. AVI SHULMAN majority of rebbe'im of children, Live a Life of Design, Not Defa ult the character trait of ka'as (anger) is something with which they must ' Lp~le. It dama-ge_s_o_t_h-er_s_a_n_d______~I --~------,------~--

MAY ~006

The Rebbe's attendants attempted problem and advise him to leave she should realize that I 'escaped' to convince her to try more accept­ from a different door so that he through a different exit while she able ways of reaching the Rebbe, would not have to confront her. was waiting?! I will forgo my honor but she refused to budge. Soon, Upon hearing this, the Rebbe ada­ and listen to her complaints." it was time for the Rebbe to leave. mantly refused - "I should flee Without another word, the The attendants were left with no from a bitter, unhappy woman?! Rebbe went, listened to her com­ choice but to tell the Rebbe of the Can I embarrass her thus - that plaints, and promised to help her as much as he could. The Rebbe's Unde Moishy, Dedi heartfelt berachos and warm calm­ Digest of Meforshim ing smile completely changed the Avrohom Fried, woman's demeanor. Her problems '"1p? in~ '1'1p? and other leading seemed to have melted in the fire 7""llT 1Vv7N 'm1r.rv l"i1Tolr.I Jewish entertainers of his ahavas Yisroel. Available at are available LEKO TEI to visit A Sephardic woman came to c/o Yitzchok Rosenberg pay a shiva visit after the Rebbe's 1445 54th Street seriously ill passing. When asked what her Brooklyn, NY 11219-4228 children connection was, she responded, 718-854-6701 "We had a sick child and the Rebbe 20 Volumes on Torah, Perek, Medrash, sent us thousands of dollars for Megilos, Talmud, and Tehilim. n"v :J.Pl'' ., ro mn medical expenses." When asked if Proceeds of sales distributed among AChessed project run hy she had ever met the Rebbe, she Yeshivos and used for reprinting of vol­ Agudath Israel of America •• • umes out-of-print fn conjunction with •;. • ; .· ; : responded, "No, we had put au ad Suki & Ding Produ,lions ~. ' ' with a post office box number in PRICE: $8.00 PER VOLUME To set up an appointment, call: , J· '. (212) 797-9000 Ext.235" Hamodia, and he sent the money to the PO box."

During his years as Rebbe, it was common to see him with large bags under his eyes. The problems of his petitioners so troubled him that he was often unable to sleep. He also suffered from significant eye ailments. Once, he had to undergo a test that could not be performed with bags under the eyes. The morn­ ing of the test dawned, and it was Registration is now open for the summer program of 5766 which will be clear that he had not slept much held JYH in Yerusholayim. Once again, the program which has been recom­ the night before. When someone mended and endorsed by Gedolei Yisroel, will present an intensive course of close to him asked him what had happened, he answered, "Last night, study, prepared for Bnei Torah to enable them to develop their full potential a person came to me with a kvittel as Mechanchim in Yeshivos and Day Schools. - he had such tzaros, such difficul­ ties, that the thought of his predica­ We will present the full range of subjects vital to the success of the rebbe in ment precluded any sleep." the classroom. We invite motivated individuals possessing higher Yeshiva The person then delicately sug­ and (or) Kollel education, to participate in this program. gested that there are artificial means by which one can induce sleep. Recognized for a Yeshiva Teacher's License The Rebbe immediately exclaimed, "Chas veshalom! The Gemara says For further information ;;:ontact that when you hear about another's RABBI NACHMAN ZAKON RABBI HILLEL MANDEL RABBI CHAIM ROBERTS difficulties, 'one must become sick Administrator Deao Jerusalem 02-651-9739 NY (718) 805-1191 England 161-740-3465 over his troubles,' and you want me limited space available. If interested, please contact us immediately. to use artificial means to circum­ vent that?"

40 .... ~~~------~--~------~~~· ---·~~ ~~~~~~;-;::~-~-~-:--~~ ~~-- ---·-·-.------J

VELA'ANAVIM YITTEN CHEIN him for a berachafor me for yiras - THE HUMBLE WILL FIND Shamayim. The Chofetz Chaim FA vo R answered that for yiras Shamayim, · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · one must toil and toil ...." he Rebbe's entire personality . . . seemed encased in a wrap­ If the Rebbewould see a pauper T ping of extreme humility, a collecting money during daven­ genuine feeling of unworthiness. ing, the Rebbe himself would come This, despite the fact that he was down from his profound levels among the geonei hador (greatest of deveikus and, with a smile, Torah scholars), a son of the leader give a donation. The Chassidim of Polish Jewry and a brother of the who saw this learned the lesson Gerer Rebbes, the Beis Yisroel and - being engaged in exalted levels the Lev Simcha. On the contrary, he of avodas Hashem cannot stop would often say, "I had such a great one from remembering the needs father and look at what has become of others. That, too, is avodas of me ...." Hashem. On his approbation to the sefer Rosh Golas Ariel, on the life story of his father, he signed his name, QUEST FOR PURITY "Pinchas Menachem Alter, spoiled vinegar, the son of ancient, aged and ne of the fascinating aspects holy wine." of his leadership of Gerer Once, on a trip with talmidim 0 Chassidus was the fact that of the yeshiva to daven at meko­ despite continuously str1v1ng to The Imrei Emes mos hakedoshim, the talmidim inculcate the middos of ayin tova, saw him pull a Siddur from his chessed, and thinking of others into My father once related the fol­ pocket and begin to read the his Chassidim, this seeming "softness" lowing story in the name of the Igeres HaRamban. When they in no way contradicted the very firm, Bluzhever Rebbe. There was once asked why he saw fit to read the lofty goals that he demanded when it a simple villager who had a deep Ramban's letter at this juncture, came to yiras Shamayim. With regard desire to see the king. He could not he explained, "I was troubled to requirements for purity, to bring rest until he moved to the capital - what merit have I to stand at kedusha into their lives, the Rebbe city, where he was able to see the these holy graves and have my sought no compromise. The weekly king once a month when the king tefillos answered? Then I thought: shmuessen at the tisch encapsulated would leave the palace and visit the Ramban promises in the let­ these goals. Although they spanned the city. ter, 'Every day in which you read the whole gamut of Torah and avodas Still, this was not enough for the this, everything that arises in Hashem, there was a clear thread that patriotic villager. He desired to see your heart to ask will be answered could be discerned. In the Friday night more of the king. He sold his house from Heaven."' shmuess, there was always encourage­ and moved onto the same street as ment and demands that the Chassidim the king, so that he would be able On another occasion, a young instill kedusha in their lives. He would to see the king when he went for scholar once came to ask for encourage the Chassidim to raise his weekly stroll. Even that was a beracha for yiras Shamayim, themselves above the mundane. "For a insufficient. The villager wanted and he answered, "When I was minute of fleeting perceived pleasure, more. He sold all of his posses­ a child, I traveled together with one can Jose so much;' was a constant sions and approached one of the my mother on the same train as refrain. king's officers, asking that he take the Chofetz Chaim. My mother The shmuess on Shabbos day almost his entire fortune in exchange for brought me over to the Chafetz invariably contained a composite procuring him a job in the palace. Chaim, seeking a beracha. When focusing on self-improvement in mid­ In this way, he would be able to see the Chofetz Chaim saw that she dos and helping others. the king whenever he wanted. The was the Gerer Rebbetzin, he rose officer said, "Unfortunately, the to his feet, saying, 'The wife of a A chassan came to the Rebbe on only job I can offer is a menial one. ta/mid chacham is like a ta/mid the day before his wedding, seeking You can be in charge of the palace Lcham.' My mother then asked . guidance. The Rebbe told him: climate control."

41 ·----·-----··---·---- MAY 2006

The villager responded, "That to pass, and another thought came to serve him just as I do after I am would be my greatest pleasure:' to mind: "What will happen to the gone." Months and years went by. The king after I die? Who will do my "This," concluded the Rebbe, ~f~t'l'1' J"t:' 'J 1V~l) 5756 ( 1996) that heart seemed to break Dedicated b Mr. & Mrs. Shmuel Boruch Wilhelm under the strain, and ceased to beat. !@

42 I ''"""~"" '"' G•moc~G - '·~ "~ ·~ ~ • •J• "'~ ... . --- . the interpersonal level), but bein adam no less than four chasunos on that one laMakom (spiritually) as well. night. 1 Our gedolim have always made it a pri- On a weekday night, the world- A MATTER OF PRIORITY ority to attend and participate in simchos renowned gaon Rabbi Akiva Eiger of others (sometimes even of strangers) ""lll, dressed up in his Shabbos fin- his article is about the desperately for this very reason. Who can forget how est, had a festive meal in his home needed changes in how we as the gadol hador of the last generation, because, as he explained to his bewil- Ta community cel- dered talmidim, in a ebrate our simchos. My distant city, a ta/mid of suggestions should not his was getting married be confused with the at this very hour. While "Simcha Guidelines" that he could not attend our gedolim publicized the simcha, he was so several years ago. While overjoyed that he was the ideas presented in this celebrating the simcha article were discussed with in his home, hundreds several leading gedolim of miles away. here and in Bretz Yisroel, they are not presented as «takanos;' but rather as WHEN THE food for thought for our MAILMAN Torah community, which .COMETH ... is always on the look­ / ...... out for ways to improve 1ile this under­ itself. scores the sig­ The Guidelines them­ W nificance of selves, though viewed by participating in another's many in the community as simcha, there is a tre­ unachievable, clearly has mendous need for major brought this issue of"our changes in our attitudes to indulgence and financial sin1chos in our community. waste" at our simchos to Years ago, our families were the attention of our col­ smaller, our shuls were lective consciences. While smal1er, and our social the dollar amount saved lll10ne o(.. the biOgraP'F1ies from overindulgence of the Yerushalmi gaon Rabbi and waste at our simchos Shlomo Zalman Auerbach .,n::lt is impossible to know) (by Rav Hanoch Teller, page 302), a fascinating episode is the fact that most of us Simchosvs. related by an eyewitness who do somewhat take these had visited Rav Moshe "":lt at guidelines into account in his home one morning and planning our simchos has noted how Rav Moshe had uncharacteristically let out a made the valiant efforts Qualitv ol lile sigh. He then explained, "I of our gedolim in this area A FRESH LOOK AT SIMCHOS have a very difficult day ahead of me. I have two she'eilos to most worthwhile. IN OUR COMMUNITY Participating in anoth­ which I n1USt respond. One is er's simcha and being truly an easy one and the other is very difficult. mesamei'ach (bringing joy to) another at Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ., .. lll, who never The easy she'eila is about a kohein who is his simcha is paramount in our avoda wasted one precious moment from his about to marry a divorcee (which the Torah - not only bein adam lachaveiro (on learning, would attend sometimes three prohibits). The really difficult one is from Reh or four chasunos in one evening. Once, Shlomo Zaln1an ., .. :n, who has asked me to RABBI GJNZBERG, FOUNDING KAVOF 0!-IR MOSllE detern1ine until what age one must participate TORAH INSTITUTE JN HILLCRl'.ST, NY, IS CURlff.NTLY during a blizzard in New York City, when in simchos." RAV OF THE CHOPETZ CHAIM TORAH CENTER OF the roads were impassible, Rav Moshe Quite obviously, the obligation to be CEDARHURST (LONG ISLAND), NEW YORK. HE IS A ~"Yt was encountered on the subway, mesamei'ach besin1chas chaveiro is a person's obli­ FREQUENT CONTRIBUTOR TO THESE PAGES. switching from train to train to attend gation to the very last drop of his streng~h.

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circles were significantly smaller. Simchos which (even when attending only one) is causes. As a result, each and every night were few and far between. When we easily a total of 3 or 4 hours. Then add he is out attending simchos all over received an invitation, it created excite­ two hours' traveling time. Is there any town. Until last year, he had never done ment, and we looked forward to the day time left for learning with one's own homework with me, he never played of the simcha. Rarely would we have two children, going to a shiur, or to a yeshiva ball with me, and had no time for me simchos in a week; more rarely, two on or organizational meeting? at alL Last year, my grandfather died the same day. When people invited Rabbi Avigdor and everything changed. My father, Today, Baruch Hashem, this has all Miller '7"'11 to a simcha (even amongst unable to go to simchos because he was changed. Our circles are larger, our fami­ his own family), he would say, "I would an aveil, was home every evening. We lies are much larger, and simchos ( kein love to come, but I am preparing for a learned together, went to a sports game yirbu) abound. Two a night is common; test, and cannot afford the time." together, and he even did a report with often three or four are the norm. My wife The test he was preparing for is the me for school. I so enjoyed having my and I had invitations to no less than 22 ultimate test, to be administered by the father as part of my life. Then around chasunos, vorts and Bar Mitzvas during Heavenly Court. Each and every one two months ago, his 'year' was up, and last June alone. This translates into several of us will one day also need to take the once again, my father is never home. nights of four or five simchos, often spread same exam. Will our attendance at so I miss him and was wondering how I out over three boroughs. manysimchos on most nights ofthe year could have my father with me again. This abundance of simchos has several affect our ability to answer the questions The only thing that I could think of significant drawbacks. It's not only our properly? was, if my grandmother would die, he lack of excitement at receiving another A prominent mechaneich, serving as would again become an aveil and be invitation, which has become our natural principal in one of the finest yeshivos in forced to spend time with me. I know reaction; it's: "Oh no, another invitation!" New York, shared the following story with how terrible these thoughts are, and I How many people (silently) expressed me. It impressed me with the importance am not a good person for having them. their appreciation for the "Three Weeks" of bringing this issue to the forefront. But I can't help myself." period that buys a respite from the nightly One day, this menaheil took notice The menaheil, usually not at a loss trek to multiple simchos. It is not some­ of a young boy's uncharacteristic mood. for words, could do nothing more than thing to be proud of when we actually Normally possesed ofa bright disposition, embrace the young boy and, with tears in dread the mailman's daily delivery of invi­ a period of days went by during which his eyes, as he thought about his relation­ tations. Yet, the overwhelming demands which he seemed morose. He called the ship with his own son, assured him that upon our time and our strength make our boy into his office and asked him if any" it was just a silly thought. He is truly a attitude (almost) understandable. thing was bothering him. The boy began wonderful and sensitive young man who On one particular night last June, my to ay and explained that he was carrying just wants to spend more time with his wife and I participated briefly in three a heavy burden on his heart. He said, "I overworked and "over-simchad" father. chasunos. At each stop, we bumped into a know that I'm a terrible person because This incident reinforces the need to prominentphilanthropist from Brooklyn I think of terrible things." bring out in the open how the abundance who is involved in many yeshivos and The menaheil assured him that he of simchos (kein yirbu), and the need to mosdos of chessed. At our third stop, was not a terrible person and that he attend so many of them, have taken over I said to him, "This evening is finally was a wonderful sweet boy. He told our lives. over." He responded, "Not for me. I still him to ask for help regarding what­ A cousin of mine works by day as a have two more stops." "But,'' he added, ever was troubling him. The boy then partner in an accounting firm, which "it's better than last night, when I had explained the source ofhis pain: "I think leaves him with limited time to learn. AB a six simchos to go to." ofmy grandmother dying, something/or dedicated ben Torah, however, his evenings I asked him how he does it and he which I have prayed to Hashem." are filled with chavrusos (study partners) replied, "My days and weeks revolve The menaheil was surprised, but until late. Nothing can change his sched­ around attending simchos. Parnassa, persisted with his questions. "Why do ule. He arrives late to every simcha, and learning, and my family have to fit in you want your grandmother to die? Is everyone knows why. While this works between them." she mean to you?" for him, if everyone would do this, what The boy replied, "Ofcourse not. She's would happen to all of our simchos? wonderful to me and I truly love her." Another casualty to the abundance of THE CUMULATIVE COST "So why do you want her to die?" simchos is that so many people leave soon The boy's response should prompt after the chupa. The baalei simcha spend he wonderful dilemma of so many each of us to look into ourselves and enormous sums on the catering, and most simchos has created a serious prob­ our relationships with our children. He of it goes to waste. At times, I respond that Tlem. Each chasuna has a reception, explained, "You see, my father is a very we will only come to say Maze! Tov, and and then a chupa, followed by a dinner, busy man, who is involved in so many not to order places for us, only to have

44 ----·····-··-··-····-···-·-··-·-·-·-··-·-··-··-····-···-······-···-·-··-····-··-··-·---··----- THE JEWISH OBSERVER

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them call, saying, "How could you not stay study) leave us without a moment to A "SIMCHA-I.Ess" SCHEDULE at our simcha? We are so close!" spare. On this issue, there can be no So we respond by making reserva­ debate. t this point, the reader is think­ tions, and leave early anyway, causing Recently, a major Torah organization, ing, ((Yes, we're all aware of the an unjustified expense to the ba'alei frustrated at never being able to meet Aproblem. But can we resolve this simcha. I recently attended a wedding with all or most of its board of direc­ properly, without comprom1smg the on a weekday night at a hall that was tors, because the majority of its me1n­ imperative to be mesamei'ach besimchas quite a distance away. Many of the bers were out attending simchos, has chaveiro (bring joy to another at his sim­ guests wanted to get an early start now begun to convene early morning cha)?" The answer is: Of course, there's on the trip home, and left the dining breakfast meetings to muster together a solution! If the community at large room, set up for four hundred, more a respectful attendance. will put their collective heads together than half empty.... Beyond a doubt, a contributing factor to this 1nass exo­ dus is the obligatory 60 to 90 minutes session of "Just one 1nore shot in this KAIKA IN 11111 YISROlL Call Rabbi Gavriel Beer for information on pose" between the photographer and the obtaining cemetery plots in Beth Shemesh chassan, kalla and their families ... while ., the guests wonder if they'll manage to and other locations in Israel. Experienced Shadchan for all age groups at ]east participate in one rekida. Ott-971-1-656-9427 Several months ago, a large chasuna 718.338.1765 •Pa er 917.486.5655 took place in Brooklyn that had pre· pared dinner settings for l ,000 guests. The caterer told me that when he served the main course, only 300 people were still there. Another painful aspect to our system of simchos is the "guest list." We agonize: How can we invite everyone? But on the other hand, how can we not? How 1nany people in our community are no longer on speaking terms because they were inadvertently or purposely left off the invitation list? Is this whole process truly neces­ sary for us to make a true Yiddishe simcha?2 Does inviting so1ne and not inviting others work? No one in our co1n1nunity of Torah Jews has extra time. Family obligations, spending time with our children, Kial work, and, of course, being kovei'a ittim leTorah (setting specific times for Torah

2--;I1;"C.(;crei: Rebbe .,:;no;KCComillcntedO~-~ the well-known Chazal (Gittin SSb), "Because of Kamtz,a and Bar Kamtza, the Beis Ha111ikdash was destroyed." The rnefarshi111 ask, "We can understand Bar Kamtza's role 3s the unintended guest who was evicted fro1n the party. But why mention Kamtza? He was just the friend that was supposed to have been invited and by mistake wasn't. What did he do wrong to be included as one who contributed to the churban Bayis?" The Gen~r Rcbbe explained, "A friend should ..._ J t: co1ne even if not invited. That's the indication ivvj/iJ../llG'.cJ'1J c·~ ... ~------__ -_ ------·_· -_· ___ --• _· --• .~ -MAY 2 o o 6 ----~------==---·=-i 1 and bring their ideas to Gedolei Yisroel, wedding is to be mesamei'ach chassan invite, and no more insulting people ' the perfect solution will no doubt be and kalla, but there is no minimum who did not get an invitation. Only forthcoming. The author invites the amount required forthis mitzva. Could the close relatives and friends of the readers to respond with their sugges­ our weddings perhaps be restructured chassan and kalla would receive formal tions. In the meantime, may I offer a so that the dinner be limited to close invitations to know how many to set few of my own? relatives and friends of the chassan and up for at the seuda. The sole purpose of attending a kalla? All others would arrive for the Last week, I attended a chasuna of chupa (which must begin promptly). a dear friend's child. At one point, I Immediately after the chupa (which went into the lobby to make a phone should last 20 - 30 minutes), there call. I found my friend standing by the would be a dance to be mesamei'ach table near the entrance, where over the chassan and kalla. 100 dinner cards were still unclaimed After that, the family could exit (either by no-shows, or by people to take the obligatory pictures, after who responded "yes," but left after which only close family members and the chupa). As I approached him, he friends of the chassan and kalla would turned to me with pain in his eyes sit down for the meal. All other guests and said, "Do you know how many would he able to return to their own salary checks that I receive as a rebbi busy lives. in yeshiva I will have to use just to If this would become the norm, cover the costs of these dinners that no then people would not feel that they one even bothered to come for?" Specializing in small batim for a perfect fit. must respond "yes" to staying for din- I saw and felt his pain, expressed ner, when it's difficult for most people in the midst of his great simcha of to do so; and the baa lei simcha would marrying off a child. How unfair, how CHEVKA OSEH CHESED not feel pressured to go into debt to inconsiderate, and how unfortunate OF AGUDATH ISRAEL invite every relative and friend to that the same scene plays out, day in their simcha. and day out, at most simchos. Isn't it BURIAL PLOTS We could have it all ... being at high time for a change in the way we IN ERETZ llSROEL our friend's simcha - but for just celebrate our simchos? I understand Interment in a Shomer Shabbos enough time (maximum one hour) that the above approach is already Beis Olatn near Beis Shemesh to allow our children the joy of see- being practiced in communities in ing their parents more than just on Eretz Yisroel, and has proven to be Please pho'IW or Write to: Shabbosos or Yamim Tovim. How very successful. Cbevra Oseh Chesed of Agudath Israel much more chessed could our com- Recently, when I visited with one of 42 Broadway, New York. NY 10004 munity accomplish, and how much the Gedolei Yisroel and shared with (212) 797-9000 more Torah learning could be added him some of these problems and sug- to our schedule! gested solutions, he nodded his head in Eretz Yisroel's In regard to invitations to sim- agreement. One of his gabba'im, who Most Reliable Shomer Shabbos chos, perhaps - to avoid the agony of sat at his side during our conversation, and English Speaking Car Service selecting the guest list, and inevitably commented, "But it's not going to be hurting people who did not get invited fair to the caterers who will now be Visiting Israel? Need Trll11Sport? - we can simply not send invitations. making smaller simchos if this is to -CHOOSE- Interestingly, we never send invitations become the norm." Menashe Sopher's ( lehavdil) to a shiva. An announce- The gadol responded immediately Airport & Limousine Service ment is made that the family is sitting and forcefully, "If we're zocheh to shiva, and everyone who feels con- make the proper changes in the way Celebrating 12 years of unbeatable service! nected to a family member in some wecelebrateoursimchos,Hakadosh OUR EFFICIENT ENGLISH-SPEAKING OFFICE STAFF, way comes to be menacheim aveil. No Baruch Hu will in turn increase the FULLY-LICENSED, INSURED & AIR-CONDITIONED VANS, DRIVEN BY jEWJSH, P0UTE DRIVERS, one is insulted, because no invitations number ofsimchos in Klal Yisroel, so ARE TAILOR-MADE FOR ALL OCCASIONS are sent to anyone. Why not the same the caterer will be even busier (even 1. 718.360 .5083 for simchos? We would just publicize if the simchos will be smaller than in or 972.l.533.3425 the time and date of the simcha, and the past). They will not lose." [email protected] www .msophera1rport.com anybody who feels connected to the May the words of this gadol be ful- In Israel: 02-533-3425 family would make sure to attend. filled, and may all of Kial Yisroel be busy No more agonizing over wh_o_m--to--m-aki-·ng simchos in the commg year._] ··•:·fMi6'~~t~fl •...... ~~l.~}~¥¥1:#111Jp!~' ·. ~~o atilt) fut ~n!lt)t~t,andi~g,,tt)~~l:I'. speak· to us jn.this book.· · ·•••····. ·.·• •···· ••·· .·· ·y• . >>•· •• ··· ·.. ·•••• ··.· ·. \ •'•' f T • '' These fifty-six. essays shou19 be required reading fo~ ev~ry le\IV. They are.gripping, inspiring, and sobering, enlightening, infor.mati.ve. Nowhere else between the covers of one book can one find the authoritative voice of so many of our Torah leaders on the Holocaust. This book is not only precious. It is indispensable reading for every Jew who seeks the Torah Hashkafa ignored by the popular media. Collected from the pages of The Jewish Observer by Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, Editor.

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