COMING to GRIPS with TRAGEDY CHURBAN EUROPE: 50 YEARS LATER DOWN SYNDROME - REFLECTIONS of a PAIIBN't TAMUZ 5750 Dear Friend, ~/Lh11'
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COMING TO GRIPS WITH TRAGEDY CHURBAN EUROPE: 50 YEARS LATER DOWN SYNDROME - REFLECTIONS OF A PAIIBN't TAMUZ 5750 Dear Friend, ~/lH11' No day passes without us receiving some form of request for help; a family in need ... a sick mother ... five kinderlach ... but there are special cases where Gedolei Hader sign their names to a special and unusual situation. A family well known in Eretz Yisroel for their popular and unique chesed organization, suddenly finds itself in the U.S. battling despair and fighting illness. If it was anyone else, their chesed organization would have long been neglected. Instead, in their exile, through their pain, they work even harder to keep their organization alive. From America they continue to help others in distress. Two years ago the mother of this wonderful family of five children fell seriously ill, and has been undergoing treatment in New York. We must orovide the family with funds to cover their exorbitant medical bills, as well as their living expenses. Please help us stand behind this wonderful family and help them with their needs. Please open your heart to a family whose heart is always open. In addition to your Tefillos for a Refuah Shleimah, we desperately need your generous support, a genuine act of Hatzolas Nefoshos. In the merit of your warm and generous response, may Hashem bless you and yours with good health and livelihood together with all of Klal Yisroel. ENDORSED BY THE FOLLOWING RABBONIM p,t;v;O',)~ <?Ji' p-;n~ HARAV DOVID SCHUSTAL HARAV AVROHOM YAAKOV PAM HARAV YAAKOV PERLOW ROSH YESHIVA ROSH YESHIVA NOVOMINSKER REBBE BAIS MEDRASH GEVOHA TORAH VODAAS YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS CAN BE MAILED TO: HATZOLAS NEFOSHOS FUND c/o YISROEL HARTMAN 12 JAY COURT MONSEY, N.Y. 10952 (914)362-1670 ER 4 THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) 0021-6615 A Time to be Still: Coming to Grips With Tragedy is published monthly except July and August by Ben Tzion Kokis the Agudath Israel of Amerlca, 84 William Street, I New York, N.Y. 10038. Second class postage 18 paid in New York, N.Y. Subscription $22.00 per year; two years, $36.00; Reflections of a Parent three years, $48.00. Outside of the United States Ephraim Milch (US funds drawn on a US bank only) $10.00 surcharge per year. Single copy $3.00; foreign 12 $4.00. Send address changes to The Jewish Poetry: My Children's Brother, Malka Schaps Observer, 84 William Street, N.Y., N.Y. 10038. Tel: (212) 797-9000. ' 13 Printed in the U.S.A. I Fifty Years After the Churban RABBI NISSON WOLPIN, EOITOR Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Horowitz EDITORIAL BOARD 18 DR. ERNEST BODENHEIMER Chairman Dark Shadows in the Kitchen: RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS A Housewife Views the Holocaust JOSEPH FAIEDENSON Sarah Shapiro RABBI NOSSON SCHERMAN 24 MANAGEMENT BOARD NAFTOLI HIRSCH Challenge and Response: ISAAC KIRZNER Bringing the Torah Message to the Secular Israeli RABBI SHLOMO LESIN NACHUM STEIN Rabbi Emanuel Feldl11lln RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING '28 Business Manager I Reh Chaim Ozer Grodzensky ?":Jr Published by Fifty Years Since His Passing Agudath Israel of America Rabbi Shimon Finkelman RABBI MOSHE SHERER PRESJOENT 39 I P.S. "The Russians Are Here. What Can We Do?" THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Kashrus of 45 any product, publication, or service advertised in its pages Poetry: Different or Similar, Blimie Friedman © Copyright 1990 46 Second Looks JUNE 1990 Do Ultra-Orthodox Jews Exist? VOLUME XXJI! I NO.S 47 Poetry: Wonder Woman, Bracha Drnss Goetz Rabbi Ben Tzion Kokis A TIME To BE STILL: COMING TO GRIPS WITH TRAGEDY SEARCHING FOR MEANING sense, to the anguished questions loss. This tragedy occurred, after which spring from the heart of the all, on the day that for all Jews, and e live in an age when trag bereaved. It would be presumptu for Aharon most of all, was an occa edy seems to have become ous for anyone not blessed with sion for intense and profound re W ommonplace. Heart-rend ruach hakodesh to interpret specific joicing. The residue of the sin of the ing events punctuate the lives of our occurrences. and lend meaning on eigel (golden calO was finally forgot communities, and, for some of us, an individual scale to personal suf ten, and, as Rashipoints out, it was our very families. Young men and fering. What will be discussed is the only at this time that Aharon felt women. fathers and mothers. and general panorama, the broad con cleansed from guilt for his own role most painfully- sweet. innocent, text in which such events occur. in that episode. And this simcha children, are tom from our midst Perhaps the insights which our sages was interrupted by an event that with what appears to be unfamiliar have provided can lend a measure of would be devastating for any father frequency. We can't help but won comprehension. and, ultimately. on any day .... der: Are these illnesses and acci comfort. to the troubled heart. Yet, when Moshe Rabbeinu ex dents truly occurring more often? pressed to Aharon, 'This was what Or have we become insulated by the AHARON'S UNIQUE SILENCE Hashem had said- 'I will be sancti relative comfort in which we live, so fied by those who are close to Me,"' that these tragedies jar our senses irst, a preliminary thought: Aharon's response is described in with shocking intensity? The Torah describes the two brief words: "vayidomAharon It is difficult to answer this ques F dedication of the Mishkan/ and Aharon was still." What is the tion; ultimately. it doesn't really tabernacle, when the presence of meaning of this simple. but power matter. What IS significant is the Hashem came to rest amidst the ful, statement? very fact that the Hashgacha has Jewish nation. This is the day that It is important to note that the brought this compelling reality upon is referred to in Shir HaShirimas "yom Torah does not use the more com our generation, and it must be dealt simchas libo," the day on which the mon verb, "vehecherish- and he was with. heart of the Creator Himself rejoiced. quiet." What is being expressed is How. then, do we come to grips Yet. the simcha that accompanied not just that Aharon didn't talk: with the starkness of personal these events was abruptly shattered "stillness-d'mama" implies much tragedy? by the sudden death of Nadav and more. Inanimate objects are termed What follows is not an attempt to Avihu. the elder sons of Aharon "domem" for they are "still." in the provide "answers," in the simple HaCohen, as punishment for their absolute sense: utterly incapable of improper offering. comprehension. By the Torah's Rabbi Kokis, a talmid of Yehivas Be'er Yaakov and Beis Medrash Gevoha of Lakewood. is the We would tend to imagine that on choice of verbs. we learn the real mashgiach ruchani ofYeshivas Ohr Somayach of a personal level. Aharon would be meaning of Aharon's reaction. He Monsey. thrown into intense turmoil over his sensed that what had transpired 4 The Jewish Obseroer. June 1990 was an expression of a totally differ Before G-d's absolute control over outside in. Rather, the process must ent dimension of Hashgacha, dis events will be revealed to the world begin from within our own hearts. tinct from the patterns to which we for that, after all, is the essence of We must develop a clear emuna in become accustomed. This sublime the redemption- there will be ape G-d's total Oneness, a clarity rein level of judgment creates different riod in which the opposite seems to forced by having been forged in a standards, and makes us aware of reign. The flow of events appears to time of darkness, when that One how distant we really are from com reflect a pervasive randomness, ness was concealed. Those who prehending the ways ofG-d. We are, making it more difficult than at any succeed in this challenge will truly as it were, inanimate, in relation to previous time to perceive the under be able, and worthy, to recognize the the awe inspiring depth ofjudgment lying order and purpose of the revelation of the ge'ula, for although which has been revealed. The ap Hashgachos. witnessing the apparent random propriate reaction can only be What is the reason for such a ness of "ikvesa de'meshicha, they "vayidam-and he was still." period? Why does the Hashgacha remain anchored firmly in their Subsequent to this event, we find deliberately allow a situation to arise emuna. They can come to appreciate that G-d addresses Aharon in a way which would seem to weaken our the significance and scope of the which appears no other place in the emuna? Oneness of G-d as no others could; entire Torah: "And G-d spoke to Ramchal explains at length that thus will the "generation of Aharon saying.... " Rashi comments this is, in fact, the last test which we Moshiach" be formed. on this, "He was rewarded for his mustconfrontasapreludeforge'ula. silence .. .in that the prophetic mes The Redemption will usher in a world OUR TASK sage came specifically to him." Ap in which the Oneness ofG-d is abso- IN PERPLEXING TIMES parently. the strength to remain "still" in a time of hat, then, is the personal crisis connects task before us? a person to a level of Pe';h~p~m'th~ l~l;h;; tcltfch ~::i;~ If this is the final closeness to G-d which challenge before the was previously beyond sages have provided can lend a ge'ula, and our success his reach.