Neighborhood Bankers. A.rthur Stuart (right). and Joseph Henschel (o.•nler). with C:l'IH customer l'>rael l'roto~in. owner of ltindy'" Maternity. 11 "Doing business with bankers should always be such a pleasure. Here are It's particularly so with Arthur Stuart and Joseph Henschel of CNB. Not only do they provide all of the usual services, like busi­ Neighborhood ness checking. But they offer something more important - themselves. I can't think of any other Bankers who bankers who'd walk the streets. talk to our neighbors, come to all the council meetings, and become so thoroughly involved in the Support affairs of our community. Good Neighbor Business Loans from Community National Bank. The Good Neighborhood Neighbor Bank. When it comes to lending money, my Merchants'' neighborhood bank is no less generous. Within weeks - son1etimes even days - we can borrow thousands of dollars. And use them for anything from building up our inventory or accumulating working capital. Maybe even buying a new facility. For all these reasons, I'd say Community National Bank deserves your business. After three terrific years, they're still getting mine." @ !ll!IAL HOUSING LENDER MEMHt.:R fOIC I t.:QUAL Of'f'ORTUNITY LENDER Located in the heart of Bora Park at 5005 13th Avenue, (718) 436-6900 THEGISH BSERVER In This Issue ... 5 The Designs of Providence THE .JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN based on a lecture by Rabbi Avrohom Pam 0021-6615 is published monthly, except July and August. by the Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer Agudath Israel of America, 5 9 Fruit For the Soul, Beekman Street.New York. N.Y. I 0038. Second class postage paid 13 Abraham Geiger, Are You There? Rabbi Avi Shafran at Nc\v York. N.Y. Subscription $I5.00 per year: two years. $27.00: 17 Hakham Abdall-h Somekh, Nehama Consuelo Nahmoud three vears. $36.00. Outside of the United States (US funds onlv) a poem by Hindy Kviat $20.00. $25.00 in So. Africa a~d 26 Musings on Match-Making, other Pacific countries. Single copy: $2.00: foreign: $2.50. Send 27 "When I Was a Mormon .•. ," Devora Bloom address changes to The Jewish Observer. 5 Beekman St .. N.Y .. N.Y. 10038. Printed in the U.S.A. 29 A Jewish Experience, Mark Ashin Second Looks at the Jewish Scene RABBI NISSON WOLPIN Edi/or 30 "Abraham and Sarah": Hosts to a Highrise Hoax EditoriaJ Board 31 Maccabiah Madness, Hanoch Teller DR ERNST BODENHEIMER 32 The Times, Are They A-changing? L.M. Reisman Chairrnan 32 Commuting on the Right Track, Bat Sheva Menucha RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS JOSEPH FHIEDENSON RABBI NOSSON SCHERMAN 33 Books in Review: Juvenile Literature RABBI MOSHE SHERER Managcrnent Board 35 The Yeitzer Hora, a poem by Naftali Bassman NAFTOLI HIRSCH ISAAC KIRZNER RABBI SHLOMO LESIN 37 Postscript NACHUM STEIN Translations Come Full Circle Busi11ess Mlli1ager RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING 38 Hero Worship: Distracting or Destructive?, Jesse Sha van Shevat, 5746 40 Letters to the Editor Jan .. 1986 VOL. XIX, NO. 1 42 Index of Articles: Subjects and Authors, Volume XVIII, Nos. 1-10 RAV ELIEZER SHACH, ONE OF ISRAEL'S TORAH LEADERS. STATES, "IF WE HAD THE FUNDS WE COULD ADD 50,000 CHILDREN TO TORAH EDUCATION NEXT YEAR." Chinuch Atzmai today Zohar is different-most of the neighborhood girls run around in Every day 40,000 children from kindergarten through 8th grade Jeans and can be found in the evenings on the street corners. Zohar is attend the 350-plus schools that are Chinuch Atzmai. Created by our at home helping her mother dean the house and care for three leaders of the Last Generation. lt has truly developed into the most younger brothers and sister. Her modest dress attests to a very special powerful force for Torah Judaism that exists today. But financial con­ type of schooling. ditions are at a crucial stage. Many existing schools lack the most !n Bat Yam. near Tel Aviv. there are several dozen girls like Zohar. basic necessities-books, teachers. classroom space. and chairs. On Shabbos while most of the family and friends would go to the There is literally no money or room to put new children. beach, Zahar could be found in the small shu! praying. Her brothers and sister at first made fun of her for the loud dear blessings she made What about government funding? on her food and the way she spoke in a softer. quieter manner. While a large percentage of the existing budget comes from the Then one night when no one else was in the house. her 10- month government. that subsidy is far from enough to cover existing ex· old, baby brother got very sick and started throwing up. Zahar. then penses. To make matters still worse, the subsidies have been 8 1/2. quickly picked him up and bundled him into a blanket. She told drastically cut this year as part of overall austerity measures. a neighbor to tel! her mother where she was going and left for a near· by emergency dinic. Three hours later when her parents arrived at No money at all is available the clinic. they found a tired Zahar dozing in the dinic"s waiting room. for new schools Things changed quickly from then on. Zohar's parents and It costs $100,000 to begin a new school-and for several years the brothers began listening to her.Today they are all Shomrei Shabbos, entire cost must come from donations. with the children attending yeshivas instead of secular schools. Jewish souls for sale Zohar's story isn't unique Every dollar you give today is buying a day of Tor ah for a boy or A powerful spirit of T eshuva is sweeping Israel. There are gir! in Israel. Don't turn your back on the greatest opportunity for thousands of individuals and entire families in Israel who are aban­ Torah that Kia! Yisroel has ever had. Your money can turn the tide. doning their upbringing and seeking a life of Torah for themselves and their children. Most of them come knocking on the doors of Chinuch Atzmai. screaming .. Help us! Take my child into your Your dollars today can save school!'" Today there are thousands upon thousands of Jewish children on line wailing for a seat in a yeshiva future generations for Torah. or Beis Yaacov. You make the choice! Torah for e liar It costs us one dollar to subsidize a child's Torah learning for one day. r---------------------·TORAH SCHOOLS FOR ISRAEL CHINUCH ATZMAI ""° _, ,_ """ 167 Madison Avenue, New York. NY 10016 (212/889-0606 Yes, I want to buy Torah for• child In 18rael. Please send me: Oa year of Torah for_ child/children <1t $360 Ua half year of Torah for _child/children <1t $180 ::::Jl month of Torah for_ child/children at $30 {'.~\·~,m O_ day/d<1ys of Tor<1h for_ child/children at Sl Our goal is to reach every Jewish child in DI would like to become a "Volunteer for Torah. TeU me what to do." ~ every community and settlement In Israel. ..........Name~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ E ESIGNS F based on a lecture by Rabbi Avrohom Pam N"\J)J\U prepared for publication by Rabbi Shimon Finkelman THE VIEW FROM ETERNITY our blessing in advance of every new Hashem does, He does for the good" month. It would seem that the phrase (Berachos 60b), and not bemoan his herewasaJewwho, inspiteof "for the good'' is superfluous: cert.a.inly fate. This is not merely meritorious, bu1 having lived his entire life in a person would not request that which is in fact obligatory, as can be seen in T dire poverty, remained stead­ is bad for him! This, however. is pre­ the Torah itself: fast in his faith, and prayed with in­ cisely the point. We can never be sure tense concentration. Someone once that what we desire is to our ultimate When YaakovAvinujirstappeared overhead this man reciting the morn­ benefit: this is known only to G-d, Who before Pharaoh, the king asked him ing blessing of· 'Blessed are You ... Who "keeps watch and sees to the very end his age, and Yaakov replied, "The has provided me my every need," with of all generations" (Mussaf of Rosh years of my sojourns have been one great joy. Hashana). We therefore ask that our hundred and thirty years. Few and Asked the passerby, "Can you requests be fulfilled, but only in a man­ bad have been the years of my life, and really say that your every need has ner that will truly be for our good. they have not attained the lifespans of been provided for? You are among the Acceptance of one's lot in life does not my forefathers in the days of their poorest of the poor!" mean that one maynotendeavortoim­ sojourns'' (Bereishis 4 7,9). The man replied, "Can one really prove his situation. Surely a person af­ Says the Midrash (cited in Da'as know. on his own. what his particular flicted with suffering can - and should ZekeinimJ: Upon hearing this state­ needs are? if G-d has made me poor, - pray to G-d to ease his burden and al­ ment G-d said to him, "I saved you then obviously this condition is neces­ low him to fulfill his purpose under from Eisav and Lavan, and returned saryfor me to fulfill my ]furpose in life. more comfortable circumstances; Denahand Yoseifto you, yet you com­ Poverty is what my soul needs, and I nothing is beyond the power of tefilla.