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Entering Our Third Year 3 FIFTY CENTS VOL. 3 No. I rHE DECEMBER 1965 / KISLEV 5726 Entering Our 10"1 ,.,::i. ,. l'\"eyl 'C':l t,~it7' '~:l'tl "m' C~ ·~ Cj'O~?"\i'T.l Third Year l""lt.,MM i"l''Ol~:"1 t.,~ ~l.,, -,~::l t.i:lYI 'i1'-,~ .i..,'l"'ll. T\~VIO ~·t,l"'1T"1 t.,~..,v.i· T">"'mit L,•o l"liw·r • -r::i':h :-+,,~l"I T"1'0l~:"I ""'".i .'-,VJ Cl"lo~c~:::i l"l"'l'l"ll"I i..,~ ?"1-il!)t t.,v ~')'l"llOI :-i•'-,'1ric ""IM~ T'lt( :--l"""llT'll""I. t.,1~ C't,V5' :::t"'li '!"I '>V'~ l"'l'Q',1W"t Communicating r1Ji::I "M rw~mo cni~ Ji""IO~ Torah l(~~''V ~''M~~~~ =i', .. ~,, i"O""I ~'"'11!Jj)lt("'l!)Q • :::t......,i"""'I W"'\11:) ...,~,T'l:::i. ll".,01':1 1•nn~ 'D..,n., 1'T'l1lV' 1•0• , •..,~. ri•vri Kollel: U. S. A .. ...,~ CJ1ll"I :M1~'1U1 !"11"'1 f"ll"ll "'\11"'10 11J""l1i'l"I l"'l.,1:llJ ! 10~ i'..,".i:"'1 IJ',l:\.,, ri~:::i.s :i:::itl'D il"lll":"I .i,,.,) ri~yio C'li:::t :·i-;:lct MOREINU YAAKOV ROSENHEIM i1::J1J.'1 p>i~ 1::JT THE JEWISH OBSERVER contents articles ENTERING OUR THIRD YEAR 3 CoMMUN1CATING TORAlI, Yaakov Jacobs ........................................... 6 KoLLEL: U.S.A., H. D. Wolpin ............................................................... 9 MoREINU YAAKOV RosENHEUvI 12 Fr<nn his writings: TlsHo B'Av ... A FESTIVAL? WAR AND ETERNAL LOVE THE JEWISH OBSERVER is published monthly, except July and August, by the Agudath Israel of America, THE TCHEBINER RAV .....................................................................................•...... 15 5 Beekman Street, New York, N. Y. 10038. Second class postage paid at New York, N. Y. Subscription: $5.00 per year; single copy: 50¢. Printed in the U.S.A. features Editorial Board EMPHASIS •.• OUJ<s ·················································· 17 DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER ANOTHER "How To" BooK? Chainnan RABBI NATHAN BULMAN REFORM AND ZIONISM "JN .NEED OF REPENTANCE" RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS JOSEPH FRIEDENSON "WHo Is A JEW?," A Review of: JEWISH IDENTITY 20 RABBI MORRIS SHERER Art Editor SECOND LOOKS AT THE JEWISH SCENE .................................................... 23 BERNARD MERLING THE SKELETON TN THE CLOSET Advertising Manager RABBI SYSHE HESCHEL "I'M AFRAID TO LOOK" Managing Editor ORTHODOXY AND THE Y RABBI Y AAKOV JACOBS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR . 25 THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Kashrus of any product or service advertised in its pages. the cover DEc. 1965 VoL. JI!, No. 1 A HISTORIC DOCUMENT-conferring upon Yaakov Rosenheim the unprece­ dented title, Moreinu Iforav lt bears the signature~ of the Chofetz Chaim, ~@> the late Gerer Rebbe, the 1'chortkover Rebbe and Reb Chaim Ozer Grodzenski. (See page 12.) Entering Our Third Year A Restatement of Objectives and Reaction to Our Critics WITH THIS ISSUE, WE ENTER THE THIRD YEAR OF the thinking of an independent Orthodoxy, in the hope publication of THE JEWISH OBSERVER, and again we that we could clarify for our readers in a reasoned feel the need to restate and examine our goals and manner the boundaries which our time has forced upon objectives. the entire community of Jews. Our critics have sug­ A publication is not born full-grown. Its parents gested that we have been too negative, even destructive may have many plans and hopes for their infant child, at times, but negativism and even destructiveness are but only a constant willingness to look at one's child relative terms and cannot ipso facto be labeled wrong. can help to determine where the child is going and For example, to destroy something on Shabbos is not what we may expect of him. The hopes that are vague deemed to be an act of m'lochoh (work) and by Torah at birth begin to crystalize when we have had time to law is considered kilkul-not a constructive act and observe the youngster's performance and estimate therefore not a desecration of Shabbos. But ... if the more accurately its potential. aim of the destructive act is to make it possible to When the Jew enters a Bais Haknesses he recites build, it becomes m'leches 1nachseves, a constructive the words of the prophet Bilam: Mah tovu oholecha act, and therefore is forbidden on Shabbos. If we have Yaakov, "How goodly are your tents, 0 Yaakov." been critical, negative, it has been in this spirit of Often these words are engraved on the wall of the striking out at the negativism of those "who would Schul. We all want to sec the goodness of our own make bitter out to be sweet and sweet to be bitter." people just as we want the world to recognize the goodness of G-d's Chosen People. Our Editorial Consensus But another prophet spoke to the Jewish people in less endearing terms, and perhaps these words too Tim JEWISH OBSERVER is not a newspaper coldly should be engraved on the walls of our Houses of reporting the facts. We are not objective; we are a Worship: journal of opinion. Most periodicals, even those which Woe to those that call evil good and good evil; give the widest latitude to their writers, confine them­ that would have us believe that darkness is light, selves to a clearly-defined editorial consensus. A lcft­ and light darkness. They would make bitter out wing journal is not likely to open its columns to right­ to be sweet and sweet to be bitter. wingers; a right-wing publication will not play host to left-wing thinkers. Even a middle-of-the road journal The warm words of Mah Tovu were spoken by a will not veer too sharply from the middle of the road. non-Jewish prophet who spoke them with great reluc­ tance,. almost wishing they were not so. The harsh What is our editorial frame of reference? We be~ words directed against those who distorted the realities lieve that the Almighty revealed His Torah to the of Jewish life many centuries ago were spoken by Jewish people who were chosen to carry G-d's light to Isaiah and are words motivated by love of G-d, devo­ the world. We believe that the Torah scholars of each tion to His Torah, and Jove for and concern with the generation, in1bued with knowledge of Torah and Jove Jewish people. Certainly both of these prophetic for Torah, arc the sole arbiters of authentic Jewish statements have their place in Jewish tradition and the thinking on an matters relating to religious practice concepts they embody are vital stimulants to Jewish and religious thinking. thinking. We claim no special privi1eges for living in accord­ As one looks at the Jewish scene in America today ance with this belief; we do feel privileged to have there is much to justify the words "How goodly" and survived as believing Jews in a world which grows ever also much that makes the words of Isaiah as current more hostile to traditional beliefs. as the morning newspaper. A mature approach to To some this smacks of snobbishness or even conceit. Jewish life must be based on the realization that just We, however, feel most humble in our belief and hardly as confusion and distortion do not cancel out the good, adequate to be the spokesmen for this belief. But so too, is the confusion and distortion not canceled believe we do and it has fallen to our lot to speak out by the good. these beliefs-and speak we must. In the early stages of THE JEWISH OBSERVER, we Some have said to us: "You fellows think you have have felt the need to state for the record in firm tones aU the answers." We don't have all the answers, but DECEMBf.R 1965 - 3 there are some questions we can answer. We know the charges must also be brought against other Jews that belief in Torah and dedication to its teachini:r is who are no longer among the living. We must call to the basic ingredient of Jewishness and Jewish life. ~We the bar of justice Moshe Rabeinu who taught that the do not have solutions to all the problems that beset Torah which he received from Sinai is an eternal Law the Jewish people, but we do know-this is a function for Israel, not a single word or letter of which could of our firm belief-that any solution which does not ever be changed; we must call the Sages of the Talmud proceed from the centralitv of Torah as revealed on whose teachings were based on their immutable belief Sinai, while it may appear io be momentarily effective, that they were the instruments of G-d when they ex­ can have no lasting value. pounded the laws and beliefs of the Torah. Our read­ We may at times choose to defend our belief in er's accusation must be hurled at the Rambam (Mai­ Torah MiSinai; we may at times attempt to refute the monides) who taught that a Jew must be capable of argumentation of those who believe that Jewishness declaring: "I believe with complete faith that this Torah and Jewish life are possible without Sinai-but essen­ [received on Sinai] will never be replaced; that there tially our belief needs no defense-like our fathers and will never be another Torah emanating from the Cre­ grandfathers before us we have staked our lives on this ator, may His Name be blessed." And we must make belief which we must constantly strengthen rather than this charge against Saadia Gaon who proclaimed that defend.
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