THE THE Sivan 5763 • May 2003 JJewishewish U.S.A. $3.50/Foreign $4.50 • VOL XXXVI/NO. 5 OOBSERBSERVERVER

EconomicEconomic AssaultAssault onon thethe TorahTorah SuperstructureSuperstructure

Also in this Issue: Teaching Churban Europa to our Children

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THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) 0021-6615 is published monthly except July and August by the Agudath Israel This is the full Table of Contents of the print edition of the of America, 42 Broadway, New York, NY10004. Periodicals postage paid in New Jewish Observer. The web edition contains only a selection of Yo r k, NY.Subscription $24.00 per year; articles (indicated in color). Click on the title to go to the two years, $44.00; three years, $60.00. Outside of the United States (US funds beginning of that article. Navigate using your browser’s menu drawn on a US bank only) $12.00 sur- charge per year. Single copy $3.50; for- and other options. eign $4.50. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Observer, 42 Broadway, NY., NY. 10004. Tel: 212-797-9000, Fax: 646-254-1600.Printed in the U.S.A. FACING THE CURRENT CHALLENGES IN ISRAEL NISSON WOLPIN, EDITOR 4 A Spiritual Perspective, Rabbi Nisson Wolpin

EDITORIAL BOARD RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS 6 Economic Assault on the Torah Superstructure, Chairman Rabbi Moshe Schapiro RABBI ABBA BRUDNY JOSEPH FRIEDENSON 10 Teaching Churban Europa to our Children, RABBI YISROEL MEIR KIRZNER RABBI Rabbi Yaakov Feitman PROF. AARON TWERSKI 15 Survivors, Debby Friedman DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER Z”L RABBI MOSHE SHERER Z”L 17 Shavuos and the Megilla of Chessed, Rabbi Ahron Rapps Founders

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t is almost a cliché, but it must be The Holocaust as a point of reference that the yishuv in Eretz Yisroel con- said anyway: We are living for this admonition is, of course, tinues to survive, surrounded as it is Ithrough extraordinary times. On ridiculous. Was Jewish military by a hundred million hostile, hate- just about every front, the Jews in strength, or lack thereof, a factor in filled enemies? Shouldn’t we focus on Eretz Yisroel are beset with crises: In the source of this miracle and rein- the area of diplomacy – yes, one does force it, if feasible, instead of glory- endeavor to make peace with adver- ing in our military strength? saries, but after Oslo and Camp David, followed by vicious attacks of e have an THE RUCHNIYUS FACTOR terror and suicide bombings, is there any basis to trusting Arab declara- Woverriding hirty years ago, after the outbreak tions, agreements and assurances, or obligation to avoid of the Yom Kippur War (Sep- political roadmaps proposed by “dis- Ttember ’73), Rabbi Moshe Fein- interested” world powers? the pitfall of taking stein l”xz addressed the national con- Yes, the workforce in Israel is vention of Agudath Israel of America. intelligent, sophisticated, and reliable credit for our He emphasized: … but tourism is moribund, the “Especially in this era of Ikvasa economy is ailing, unemployment is successes… diMoshicha,when we are on the very at an all-time high, and the shekel is threshold of Moshiach’s arrival, we have near its all-time low. an overriding obligation to avoid the As for security, the army is well- pitfall of taking credit for our success- equipped, vigilantly on the guard, es, attributing them to ‘kochi ve’otzem quick to retaliate with precision. But the annihilation of six million Jews? yadi – my might and my power.’ The it is made up primarily of reservists Germany was defeated by the com- final Mishna in Sota describes this era – their stamina is not limitless. bined strength of the Allied powers – as a time when the honor of Torah will What can keep us going? America, the USSR and Great Britain suffer, many economic and material According to Prime Minister – after some five years of desperate, problems will beset us, the young will Sharon, in a speech he delivered on relentless struggle, painfully costly in not respect elders, and there will be no Martyrs’ Memorial Day, one of the les- lives, exorbitantly expensive in dollars. one to rely upon except our Father in sons of Holocaust is that “security and Could any degree of strength had Heaven.That is, after suffering mate- peace can only be achieved for the made a difference to the Jews of rial and spiritual deprivation, we will Jews through Europe, reducing their loss of lives at come to realize that all the underpin- strength.” the hands of the Germans? nings that appear to support our many Apply this meaningless message to endeavors – ranging from basic human our current situation, and one won- decency and the reliability of govern- ders how we are to find guidance in ments, to general sobriety and the sol- Sharon’s words. We certainly owe a vency of the national currency – these boundless debt of gratitude to the will prove to be totally unreliable, members of Tzahal for risking life and simply worthless. limb to protect us over the decades. “So, then,on whom can we depend? We But is it anything less than a miracle can only rely on Avinu she’ba’Shamayim –

4 The Jewish Observer, May 2003 our heavenly Father. miyahu 9, 11-12) growth is the product of many factors “All the suffering we endure is Rabbi Yehuda the Nasi sent Rav – among them, financial support from designed to bring us to this ultimate Chiya, Rav Assi, and Rav Ami to trav- the Israeli government. The fact that realization, and the sooner we fathom el through the cities of the Land of Israel this support is going to be radically it, the sooner will we be spared further [to establish teachers of Scripture and reduced may at first be shocking. Con- suffering. On the other hand, if we do Mishna for the children there]. They sidering, however, that the Chareidi not grasp this concept, Hashem may entered a particular city and found no community is but a minority, and tak- well find it necessary to repeat the mes- teachers at all. ing into account the virulently hostile sage with increased severity, stressing They said [to the leaders of the city]: attitude toward Torah and mitzva the futility of relying on diplomacy, on “Bring before us the guardians of the observance harbored by the secular the basic decency of other nations, or city.” They brought the centurions parties in control of the government, on our military might. And then, per- (armed guards). this shock may simply be a jolt that haps we will recognize the import of the Said the : “These are the wakes us up to a long-standing reality events. After all, [Reb Moshe pointed guardians of the city? They are noth- (as has been discussed at length in out,] during the War of ’67, we were ing but the destroyers of the city!” recent issues of JO). The government’s exposed to the Hand of G-d. Had we all The leaders asked, “Then who are long-term support of Torah over the been fully aware of what we had wit- the guardians of the city? years may have had its political moti- nessed and the impact of all the stories They replied, “The teachers of vations, but their largesse cannot be we had heard, we would not have need- guaranteed forever. ed this more recent war to awaken us.” Our purpose in spelling this out once Once again, we are being called again, then, is to sound an alarm, and upon to study our current situation…. f we do – at the same time – to wake us up to a Must the futility of relying on the decen- deeper reality. The details in the article cy of others and on our own military …Inot grasp that follows will make it apparent that prowess be exposed further? “We have both the neshama and the body of Klal no one to rely on but our Father in this concept, Yisroel – its spiritual status and its phys- Heaven.” Isn’t it obvious? Hashem may well ical security – are under enormous threat. INVOKING HASHEM’S INVOLVEMENT find it necessary We are truly helpless without Hashem’s divine intervention – all the he primary protection from the to repeat the pride and confidence broadcast by suffering of Ikvesa deMashica,we Israel’s military and political leadership Thave been told, is through engag- message notwithstanding. And investing our ing in chessed and Torah study. While hope in the “Centurions” instead of in this can be seen as a mandate for each the “Torah Guardians of the City” is not of us to enhance the spiritual content of only folly, it can be catastrophic. our lives on an individual basis, it is also Scripture and Mishna,as is written We can only depend on Avinu the formula for intensifying our nation- (in Tehillim 127,1): ‘If Hashem will she’ba’Shamayim.And He in turn is al security in Eretz Yisroel. not build the house, in vain do its looking to us to continue to engage in Time and again, Chazal have under- builders labor on it; if Hashem will Torah study and to promote its spread. scored how our ability to prevail in bat- not guard the city, in vain is the How do we increase our own awareness tle depends on those who are involved watchman vigilant…” (Yerushalmi, of this deeper reality? And how do we in Torah study. (See Makkos 10a.)* Chagiga ch. 1, hal. 7). spread this awareness among the mul- The Talmud relates: The message of the rabbinical dele- titudes of Israeli citizens – many of them Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught, ‘If gation’s response is clear: If the people open to our message? you have seen cities uprooted in Eretz of a city invest their trust in the military Bear these thoughts in mind, as you Yisroel,you should know that [this guards, and ignore the Torah needs of read the pages that follow. ■ occurred]** because they did not main- the populace, that misplaced trust will tain the salaries of the teachers of Scrip- be the cause of the city’s destruction. * Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, “What is the ture and Mishna [to the children]. In the article that follows, we will meaning of:‘Our feet were standing in your gates, Jerusalem’? (Tehillim 122,2) Who caused us to What is the source? “Why did the land focus on how we have experienced a prevail in battle? The gates of Jerusalem – wher- perish and become parched like the phenomenal growth in Torah study and ever they were engaged in the study of Torah.” desert, without a passerby? Hashem has scholarship in Eretz Yisroel in the past Makkos 10a. said, ‘Because of their forsaking My few decades, and how this is now being ** Bracketed explanations are from the com- Torah that I put before them.’” (Yir- threatened. As will be pointed out, this mentary Korban Ha’eida.

The Jewish Observer, May 2003 5 FACING THE CURRENT CHALLENGES IN ISRAEL Moshe Schapiro

I. OF GROWTH AND THREAT bursting with surplus food, but all in all, if they live intelligently and prudently, n the last twenty-five years, Torah a young couple can remain part of the study has flourished in Eretz Yisroel scene for many years. Ito an unprecedented degree. As a result, we now are living in a golden age Economic The Dynamo Behind of Torah erudition and widespread the Revolution religious observance. Never since the times of the Second Beis Hamikdash his institution called “the kollel have so many Jews in so many different way of life” is the dynamo that is parts of the country lived their lives in Assault Trunning Israel’s religious revolu- accordance with the precepts of Torah tion. Kollel-men-volunteers are the life- and halacha.Never have so many ded- force of such kiruv organizations as Lev icated so much of their time to full-time L’Achim and Arachim. They are the Torah study. Never have so many reli- teachers, the tutors, the big brothers. giously alienated Jews returned to a The young kollel wives are the fac- Torah way of life. ulty members who staff Chinuch Atz- Twenty years from now, if all turns mai schools across the country side and out well, we will realize that that which who teach the secular children enrolled we have been witnessing is actually his- by Lev L’Achim how to say Krias Shema. tory in the making. But at this particu- If these kollel wives didn’t exist, some- lar moment, the future looks bleak, since one would have to invent them, because there is a strong danger that everything they and their husbands are the prime that has been achieved in the past two resources for strength, determination, decades will be destroyed. and sheer Yiras Hashem needed to I am referring to a set of drastic eco- educate tough secular children and nomic measures being legislated at this turn them into mentschen. very moment by the Israeli government, Without those teachers, there would which will make it impossible for many not be any Chinuch Atzmai kiruv of the people who are to a large extent schools, and without those kiruv responsible for this religious revolution schools, there would not be any enroll- to continue their work. The direct ment drives, and without the enrollment result will be v”u the end of the flower- drives, there would not be the many ing of Torah in Eretz Yisroel. fresh baalei teshuva coming into the Are members of the Torah commu- Torah world. nity the only residents of this country who will be negatively affected by the on the Torah The New Economic current economic measures? No, that is Strangulation not the case. But whether by design or coincidence, the plan happens to severe- t is undeniable that the State of Israel ly and disproportionately incapacitate Superstructure is in economic crisis and that the every single important pillar upon Icountry’s bloated budget must be which the Torah community stands. slashed. The Chareidi community And every member of the family unit accepts that reality. But when one sees will feel the effects. where the cuts are directed and how Kollel families lead a precarious er with the husbands’ kollel stipend and cruel they are, one must question the existence as it is, but most manage to get after-hours odd jobs, plus the monthly motives of the slashers. by.The wives usually work, and togeth- child allowance payments from Bituach As a result of the government’s dras- Leumi, they make ends meet. tic economic measures, Chinuch Atz- Moshe Schapiro is a journalist who lives in Jerusalem. His byline appears in a number of Housing is still a problem for young mai’s allotment of teaching hours has English-language publications around the globe couples, but until now, most young cou- been cut by ten percent – an over- including the English language Yated Ne’eman, ples could take out a heavily subsidized whelming total of $10 million. The where he is a regular columnist. A frequent con- government mortgage and buy a decent Torah school network will have no tributor to these pages, he was last represented by “Our Generation’s Tzaddik of Jerusalem: Rabbi apartment in a new development area. choice but to lay off 700 teachers. Refoel Binyamin Levine, l”xz”(May ’02). Sometimes the refrigerator is not The ripple effect of this one economic

6 The Jewish Observer, May 2003 sanction alone is staggering. For one, it yeshiva and kollel students with foreign means that at a time when the Chinuch citizenship. There are currently 16,000 Facts and Figures Atzmai network is in a growth pattern, foreign students studying in yeshivos and Total government funds budgeted it must ask: “Where will all those new seminaries. It’s not difficult to imagine for all Torah mosdos as of Jan. 2002: thousands of secular children be how this will affect yeshivos such as Mir- NIS 1.2 billion. With cuts, government enrolled? What will secular parents Yerushalayim, whose enrollment support will go down to NIS250 mil- who are seriously considering enrolling includes some six hundred young men lion. Cut of app. 80%. their kids into Chinuch Atzmai schools answering to this criterion. (Don’t the Total number of recognized think when they discover that in order designers of this edict realize – or care Torah mosdos as of today: 2,000. After to contend with the cut in teachers, dif- – that foreign students and their visit- 100-student minimum requirement ferent grades will have to be combined ing relatives are responsible for a steady for funding, only 500 will remain. into one class, and on some days chil- flow of foreign currencies to Israel, in a Total number of avreichim (kol- dren will be dismissed from school at measure that compensates for the lel fellows) today: 43,000-45,000. Of those, 23,000-26,000 will lose all fund- 11:00 in the morning? And what will expense of subsidizing their education? ing because they are over 27 years happen to the teshuva movement when Future economic studies will doubtless of age. An additional 15,000-17,000 secular parents stop enrolling their list this as a classic case of cutting off the between the ages 23-27 will lose half children into Torah schools?” nose to spite the face. Is there a better way of their funding. Only some 6,000 Exactly. to explain this shortsightedness than to avreichim, under the age of 23, will It will sputter and die. say that the secularists are ready to make receive full funding. this sacrifice in order to win the battle Total number of foreign students Attacking the Kollel System against the growth of the Torah yishuv?) in , yeshivos and seminaries: In the short-term, many kollelim 16,000. Funding for all of them has ther serious economic sanc- could be forced to shut down. And already been canceled altogether. tions are severely affecting the unless a solution can be found for the Funding for 120,000 students enrolled in yeshivos ketanos, yeshiv- Torah community. The pro- continuing expansion of Chinuch Atz- O os tichoni’im, mesivtos and some sem- posed budget would have a dispropor- mai’s kiruv schools, the teshuva move- inaries: cancelled altogether. Not a tionately negative impact on yeshivos ment could go into a state of suspend- single penny remains. Out of 30 sem- and seminaries, as compared with other ed animation – or sharp decline. inaries, only 8 will continue to receive educational institutions. University stu- If this worst-case scenario material- funding. dents’ tuition stipends were increased by izes, it could well change the face of Eretz Seminaries and Ulpanot: 66,778 17% last year and will remain the same Yisroel for the worse in a very significant students currently funded, will go under the new economic plan. But reli- way. Learning full-time could cease to down to 11,741. gious institutions’ grants, which were cut be a viable choice for young couples, and Total students in all mosdos of by 10% last year, will be cut an additional could come to be regarded as something Torah, including kollelim, funded 10% this year – as part of an across-the- reserved for yechidei segula (the chosen before the cuts: 216,000. After cuts, 79,687. board downsizing of ministries, includ- few) who have rich parents willing to ing the Religious Affairs Ministry – if the support them, or the exclusive domain plan is enacted. What is more, the budg- of those with an other-worldly dedica- portion of Toras Eretz Yisroel. et proposal includes a further 10% cut tion that has roots in 19th century East- Or unless some serious, protracted in all allotments provided in the form ern Europe, but is not common in this negotiations take place between of the grants that go toward the salaries time and place. spokesmen for the Torah community of religious institutions. This could v”u be the beginning of the and government leaders. The budget proposal would also end for the golden era of Torah study cancel all government support for in Eretz Yisroel.Unless, that is, the world II. THE HUMAN DIMENSION yeshivos and religious high schools with Torah community – but primarily the fewer than 100 students – eliminating American community, whose generos- e recognize Torah study as nearly one third of Israel’s yeshivos from ity dwarfs that of all the other Torah central to our national iden- the assistance rolls. So-called “senior” communities in the world – undertakes Wtity and crucial to our people’s yeshiva students (those above the age of to do something about it right now. But security. While we might expect the 23) would see their monthly stipends cut even these resources would be inade- chiloni leadership to respect our involve- in half; stipends to those over 27 would quate for the scores of millions of dol- ment and dedication to Torah as being be eliminated entirely.In other words, lars needed. At the very least, this could a national treasure, or as a precious lega- the scholars with the potential for prove to be the way for a broad cross sec- cy from the past, we cannot rely on Torah greatness will be cut off, period. tion of Torah Jews in America – and them to extend themselves financially Another new edict cancels funding for Europe too – to acquire a significant to keep Torah afloat. The bias against

The Jewish Observer, May 2003 7 Torah scholars as compared to univer- longer eligible to receive kollel stipends. pay the mortgage when there are no job sity students (noted above) is obvious, That makes two strikes in very rapid suc- opportunities for her, and his days in kol- but it is not unexpected. There is, how- cession. lel are numbered? ever, a human dimension to this situ- To this, add the 75 percent reduction When they have children, how will ation that we must make note of, and in Bituach Leumi’s Kitzvat Yeladim pay- they feed and clothe them without Bitu- which should shake up the chiloni’im as ment to needy families with more than ach Leumi? How will they send them to well, no matter what their ideological four children. For a family with six chil- school, now that the government has can- orientation. dren*,for example, that would amount celled transportation subsidies for stu- The fact that Chinuch Atzmai will be to losing approximately $1,000 from their dents commuting to schools outside of forced to lay off 700 teachers means that monthly income. Bear in mind that this their immediate neighborhood? (This is 700 households have now been plunged is all happening simultaneously. At this another hardship, not mentioned earli- into an economically impossible situation, point the readers are invited to put them- er.) because the main wage earner has sud- selves in their shoes: Yesterday you were What is paralyzing about these eco- denly found out that he or she has joined managing, today you’re facing financial nomic sanctions is that they are being leg- the ranks of Israel’s 300,000 unemployed ruin. And your friends, relatives, and islated simultaneously. Each one alone is in an economy where there are virtually neighbors are no better off. serious in its own right, but the effect of no jobs to be had. For young couples who married getting hit by all of them together is sim- The drastic reduction of kollelim, the recently, the government has another sur- ply overwhelming, certainly a complete- proposed ceiling of age 27 for recognized prise in store: the cancellation of subsi- ly new reality. kollel members, the disqualification of kol- dized mortgages for young couples. Sud- The immediate result will be thou- lelim of less than 100 members, and other denly housing is a whole new sands of kollel families being plunged into such arbitrary cuts boil down to thou- consideration. Even if the yeshiva boy and a state of abject poverty – this means sands of kollel students in their late 20s, Bais Yaakov girl who just got married hunger and homelessness, not just an whose wives may very well be among the somehow raise enough money for the overdraft in the bank – even if both spous- 700 teachers laid off by Chinuch Atzmai, down payment on their apartment in a es start immediately looking for jobs – suddenly discovering that they are no development area, how can they possibly which don’t exist, anyway. It is inconceivable that any other seg- ment of the population would be so sum- marily, drastically and precipitously dis- enfranchised, with neither warning, gradualism, nor some kind of cushion or safety net to soften the blow. It stretches credibility to say that the designers of these cuts were unaware of their far-reaching implications. They knew! Such indiffer- ence spells callousness and cruelty, which are simply alien to the Jewish psyche. Yet, in keeping with the Chazal,“Hatred distorts one’s line of reasoning,”their often articulated hostility to Torah has apparently blinded them to the human dimension of these targeted financial cutbacks, which are totally out of line when compared to finan- cial reductions in any other areas of the State’s budget. *There are currently 1.16 million Israeli citizens living below the poverty line, and government researchers estimate that the budget cuts under consideration will add an additional 20,000 peo- ple – leaving 661,000 children destitute. A fam- ily with four children will receive nearly 9,000 shekels less per year than in the past; and larger families – which more often than not are already facing serious financial pressures – stand to lose much more: a family with eight chil- dren, more than 37,000 shekels annually; one with ten children, nearly 60,000 shekels.

8 The Jewish Observer, May 2003 Other Ramifications

ne wonders how the designers of these draconian cuts could be Ounaware of other ramifications of their projected cuts targeted against the Chareidim.Do they truly want to force the exile of Torah study from Eretz Yis- roel, and to compel serious students of Torah to transfer their pursuit of Torah knowledge to other countries? Do they really wish to formalize the split between the Torah community and the secularists, and to put the State of Israel firmly on one side of the divide? Is an all-out, no-holds-barred fight against Torah their real agenda? Simcha Guidelines Are they ready to surrender to the Israeli-Arab population explosion, and THE VORT • The menu for the seuda is limited to 3 permit Bnei Yishmael to determine the • The Vort celebration is to be courses followed by a regular dessert. demographic character of the State in discontinued. The L’chaim (held at the next generation? (Or do they • No Viennese table and no bar. the time that the engagement is expect to maintain a “Jewish” majori- THE MUSIC ty through non-Jewish Russian immi- announced) should also not turn into a gration, as, indeed, Prime Minister Vort. • A band may consist of a maximum of Sharon implied in a recent Jerusalem THE WEDDING 5 musicians (one of the musicians may act as a vocalist) or four musicians and one Post interview?) • Only 400 invited guests may be Torah concerns are of top priority to additional vocalist. seated at the chassuna seuda. us. Even if one or another crisis area will • A one-man band is recommended. be ameliorated, the total picture of threat • The kabbolas panim smorgasbord to Torah viability in Israel looms large. should be limited to basic cakes, fruit plat- FLOWERS & CHUPA DECOR Hopefully, these issues should be recog- ters, a modest buffet, and the caterer’s • The total cost of these items for the entire nized as legitimate, and be met by those standard chicken or meat hot dishes. wedding should not exceed $1,800. in control of current government – if not for sharing common cause with us, then FOR THE FULL VERSION OF THE SIMCHA GUIDELINES at least on the basis of enlightened self- AND THE ACCOMPANYING KOL KOREH, ■ interest. please email [email protected] or call 212-612-2300 We the rabbinical signatories — barring familial obligations — and unusual and Digest of Meforshim extraordinary circumstances — will not participate in or attend a wedding celebration that yjvkl rtb yjvkl disregards these guidelines. (Rabbinical Listing in formation) Rabbi Shmuel Birnbaum Rabbi Eli Simcha Schustal Rabbi Elya Ber Wachtfogel l”xz rijla lavms g”hrhm Rosh Hayeshiva, Mirer Yeshiva Rosh Hayeshiva, Bais Binyomin, Stamford Rosh HaYeshiva, Yeshiva Gedolah of South Fallsburg Available at Rabbi Elya Svei Rabbi Yisroel Rokowsky Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Gedola of Philadelphia Rabbi Yisroel Simcha Schorr Rabbi Chaim Boruch Wolpin LEKUTEI Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Karlin Stolin c/o Yitzchok Rosenberg Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetzky Roshei HaYeshiva, Yeshiva Ohr Somayach Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Gedola of Philadelphia 1445 54th Street Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler Rabbi Zecharia Gelley Rav, Khal Adas Jeshurun Brooklyn, NY 11219-4228 Rabbi Yaakov Perlow Rosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood Novominsker Rebbe 718-854-6701 Rabbi Yisroel Tzvi Neuman Rabbi Lipa Margulies Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Feigelstock Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva & Mesifta Torah Temimah 20 Volumes on Torah, Perek, Medrash, Rosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva of Long Beach Rabbi Dovid Kviat Rabbi Dovid Tzvi Schustal Megilos, Talmud, and Tehilim. Rabbi Moshe Wolfson Chairman, Conference of Synagogue Rabbonim Rosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood Proceeds of sales distributed among Mashgiach, Yeshiva Torah Vodaas of Agudath Israel Yeshivos and used for reprinting of Rabbi Aron Moshe Schechter Rabbi Yeruchem Olshin Rabbi Shlomo Mandel volumes out-of-print Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Chaim Berlin Rosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva of Brooklyn PRICE: $8.00 PER VOLUME Rabbi Yosef Rosenblum Rabbi Mattisyahu Salamon Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Shaarei Yosher Mashgiach, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood Rosh Hayeshiva, Mesivta Meor Yitzchok

The Jewish Observer, May 2003 9 Rabbi Yaakov Feitman

Why it must be done now gered species on the face of the earth. fore, the mandate of that generation was And there is tragically nothing we can to concentrate on the things that fall n two years, the sixtieth anniversary do about it. We can treasure them, nur- under the rubric of “Haniglos lanu ule’- of the liberation of Auschwitz will be ture them, and pray for them. But above vaneinu – That which has been revealed Icommemorated. It will be a bitter- all, strange though it sounds, we must and given to man.” 1 sweet occasion. The pain is still fresh, the use them. We have but one more short It was a time to rebuild, to start fam- wound unhealed and gaping. But we generation when we can teach Churban ilies, to engage in LIFE. And so, the have more than survived as a nation. We Europa with the great moral authority zekeinim did not engage in theology or are, thank G-d, flourishing and the Nazis of people with numbers on their arms. explication. They simply allowed the are gone. And yet, we must now grap- Yes, many of them have been recorded present to become the future without ple with the question: who will be left on videotape, but tapes cannot answers dwelling upon the painful past. In their to commemorate it at all? questions and they cannot refute wisdom, the Gedolim knew that too Let’s do the math. If someone was, let deniers. much preoccupation with death and the us say, ten years old at liberation – past would paralyze the colossal task arguably the youngest to have mean- I. WHAT HAS TAKEN SO LONG? which had to be undertaken – literally ingful memories – they will be seventy the recreation of the Jewish world. Chaz- in time for the anniversary. Most of the or nearly a generation, very little al tell us that “there is a Heavenly decree survivors, however, are much older. Or was written or spoken about this that one forgets about the tragedy of a gone. My parents l”xz are no longer here, FChurban in Klal Yisroel.And then death so that life can go on.”2 It is clear nor are most of their generation. To be the floodgates opened. Why the silence from our sages that without a special sure, others can – and very soon will then, why the torrent of words now? Our divine edict, man could be emotional- have to – tell the story. But there is noth- Gedolim have given a number of ly crippled by the catastrophe of a death ing like the tale of a survivor. Nothing answers. Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, the can match the passion, the pathos, the Novominsker Rebbe, a”jyls has taught 1 See “Teaching Churban Europa to Our Chil- horror, the immediacy, and – most us that the manhigei hador (leaders of dren,”edited by Rabbi Joseph Elias, page 5. This important booklet published by Torah Umeso- importantly – the credibility of a sur- the generation) immediately after the rah, includes the entire next of the Novominsker vivor. Churban felt that explanations, hashkafa Rebbe’s address on Rosh Chodesh Av 5760, set- They are perhaps the most endan- and interpretations of the Churban ting forth the philosophy of a curriculum for teaching Churban Europa. All of the quotes from Rabbi Feitman, Rav of Kehillas Bais Yehuda in were a part of the rule of “Hanistaros the Rebbe in this article are taken from that speech Cedarhurst, N.Y., a well-known lecturer and LaHashem Elokeinu.The secrets of but this presentation incorporates other author, is a frequent contributor to these pages. G-d must remain with Him.”(Devarim approaches as well. He teaches, among other courses, “Churban 2 Europa – the Holocaust” at Reenas Bais Yaakov 29.28) These answers will in truth not See Bereishis Rabba 84,19 and Rashi, Bereishis High School in Hewlitt, N.Y. be known until Moshiach arrives. There- 37,35.

10 The Jewish Observer, May 2003 in the family. Multiply this by the cat- explained a certain verse in Eicha twen- later, was that much more removed from aclysmic results of Churban Europa, and ty-four different ways. Just one gener- the sensations of the event and was able one must indeed marvel at the miracle ation later, Rabbi Yochanan was able to to discuss and analyze the same verse of rebirth and revival. explain the same verse in sixty ways. without such emotional upheaval. This triumph over death is actually Why the discrepancy? Our sages explain Rabbi Gifter used this Midrash to a dual one. In the late 1940’s, my Rebbe, that Rebbe,who was one generation clos- criticize the “emotional bankruptcy” that Rabbi Hutner l”xz, once greeted a er to the Churban, was only able to dis- permits us to speak so casually about the recently arrived survivor by standing up cuss the tragedy intellectually until he Churban Europa.5 This Midrash, how- and declaring,“If you lived through the had derived twenty-four interpreta- ever, may also help us understand the war and the camps and you still cover tions. He would then break down and relative silence of our Gedolim during your head, you are truly a great tzaddik.” weep. Rabbi Yochanan, just a generation the two decades or so after the Holo- The miracle of Jewish renewal after the 5 Rabbi , “A Path Through the caust. Their quiescence resulted from a Holocaust reflects the fact that we sur- Ashes,” in A Pash Through the Ashes,edited by profound state of aveilus for a lost world vived physically, but also the amazing Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, ArtScroll, 1986, p. 57 and the spiritual grandeur that disap- spiritual resilience of the Jewish people. Our faith also survived, and that is both a tribute to the Jewish people and some- thing for which to be grateful to G-d. Rabbi Dessler teaches that when the Tochacha ends with the words “Despite all this…, I will not find you abominable to destroy you,” this refers to our spir- itual state as well. G-d has always made sure to preserve our spiritual status as well as guarding the actual existence of Israel.3 At the most recent convention of Agudath Israel of America, Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller, Rosh HaYeshiva of Telshe Chicago, recounted eloquently the herculean labors of Rabbi Aharon Kotler, Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Bloch, Rabbi Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz and the other great builders of Torah, who miracu- lously did spiritual CPR upon a gasp- ing nation. This could not have been done while wearing shrouds in a grave- yard,with but Kaddish on their lips. The events of the Churban had to be set aside – temporarily, but decisively – so the Jewish world could be rebuilt. This is one explanation for the silence of the post- Churban generation.

The Silencing Factor of Pain

believe that another answer is based upon an insight taught to us by Rabbi Mordechai Gifter l”xz, the I 4 Telzer Rosh HaYeshiva.The Midrash records that Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi 3 See Michtav M’Eliyahu,Vol. I, p. 233; II, p. 100, 148; III, p. 47; IV, p. 26 4 Eicha Rabba,Ch. III, section 4 (Wagshall ed., p. 117).

The Jewish Observer, May 2003 11 peared with it. Aharon’s response to the indispensable. I remember attending more importantly, no one could remain tragic death of his sons was silence annual hazkaros (memorial gatherings) sane, smile, laugh, and be a normal par- (Vayikra 10,3), and Yechezkel (24,17) was with my parent in the 1950s for their ent with images of smokestacks and cre- commanded to “be silent from groan- decimated cities of Chust, Czechoslo- matoria in front of their eyes. The mitz- ing” upon the sorrowful passing of his vakia, and Strzemiashitz, Poland. There va was to rebuild, to grow families, to wife. Sometimes silence is the most elo- were a few of us – the Second Genera- triumph over death and the icy hand of quent of elegies. tion – because families were small. Most Amalek that threatened to destroy them of us didn’t know it at the time, but we even now from the grave. Therefore, Time to Rebuild: An Overriding Priority were the New Children, the Substitute there was no Holocaust talk on the way Children, the Children on Earth. Our home. There was no follow-up on the e may conclude that the parents – older than that typical Amer- hazkara except to lament that Reb Yos- silence of a generation, far ican parents – reminisced about der sel had passed away, or how well Mrs. Wfrom a precedent, was a life- heim,recalled the world that was, and Goldberg looked today. Then back to affirming imperative. That silence was invariably returned rapidly to the pres- life. both therapeutic and psychologically ent. To dwell on the past was painful, but That heroic and gallant generation has done its job. They rebuilt upon the still smoldering ashes, and produced Project Liberty at OHEL is one of children who today are attending their over 20 programs and services own grandchildren’s simchos.But the ‘‘ provided by Ohel, including: time has finally come to confront the OHEL FAMILY SERVICES issues and educate future generations about what happened and – of course, BAIS EZRA PROGRAMS My Pain here is the challenge – why it happened, LIFETIME CARE FOUNDATION to the extent that we are capable of

KADIMAH PSYCHIATRIC DAY PROGRAM extracting this terrifying secret of Chur-

is Real ADULT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ban Europa. ‘‘ SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT I recall one Torah Umesorah con- MOBILE OUTREACH TEAM vention at the annual session when we

TIKVAH MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC were privileged to ask Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky l”xz our hashkafa questions. TIKVAH MOBILE MENTAL HEALTH TEAM One principal rose and inquired,“Rebbe, PROJECT LIBERTY AT OHEL HUMAN RESOURCES & VOLUNTEERS how do we explain the Holocaust to our SUMMER CAMPS children?” Reb Yaakov responded provides free and confidential supportive PREVENTIVE CARE SERVICES sharply with a query of his own: “Und counseling, outreach and education to FOSTER CARE PROGRAM ihr farshteit yeh? (And you yourself do those in the Jewish community who are ABUSE TREATMENT understand?)” Reb Yaakov, in his wis- experiencing symptoms related to 9/11 or DOMESTIC ABUSE dom, picked up on a psychological COUNSELING/SHELTER crutch upon which we often lean. When symptoms related to the terror in Israel ADDICTION TREATMENT something is beyond our comprehen- which have been made worse by 9/11. PROJECT LIBERTY AT OHEL sion but uncomfortable to explore, we make it a “Chinuch question.”Let’s put INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL TRAINING it on the children. In truth, that princi- pal merely reflected the reality that twen- ty-five years ago, this was a subject rarely explored or properly elucidated.

II. THE MANDATE TO TEACH – NOW For Information and to request a school/synagogue 718.851.6300 presentation, contact Project Liberty at OHEL: Dealing with Anti-Semitism

718•686•3283 4510 16TH AVENUE [email protected] BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11204 ne of the most crucial reasons www.ohelprojectliberty.org FAX 718.851.2772 to teach about Churban Europa email: [email protected] Supported by FEMA/CMHS Oat the present time relates to the Citicom! (718) 692-0999 dangerous new trend in world anti-

12 The Jewish Observer, May 2003 Semitism. Organizations such as the “abandon the ways of the congregation tainly of our time. Now that Gedolei Yis- Anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith of Israel,” including in this category roel have indeed granted us insights into and the Wiesenthal Center have been those who do not feel the anguish of the the Churban,a vehicle must be created marshalling alarming statistics indicat- community. Our children have become to allow this generation to study and ing the rapid proliferation of anti-Jew- disconnected from this catastrophic absorb their words. ish incidents around the globe. Radical event and we must help them become Islam has proven itself to be the source aware of the scope of the tragedy, To Bear Witness, and Let Others Explain of deadly attacks against the Jews in gen- which befell us so recently, yet seems so eral, not just the State of Israel. Anti- distant to a generation largely unmoved nd here we come to one of the Semitic tracts such as Mein Kampf and by what is now known as the Holocaust. more sensitive issues regarding The Protocols of the Elders of Zion have I have seen young people complete a Athis curriculum. On the one become best sellers and beguiled a new Holocaust Museum tour without a tear hand, as we have seen, the survivors are generation of compliant readers. Our or even a shudder. A Torah curriculum the key to establishing the credibility and children need to understand these phe- on this matter would include the man- emotional impact of the Churban.Yet, nomena in the ancient context of date to share, at least retrospectively, the paradoxically, they are often not the best “Halacha b’yadua sheEisav sonei l’Yaakov profound pain of those who were there. ones to determine the guidelines, – It is the Law that Eisav hates Yaakov.”6 approaches and hashkafos we must And Yishmael is an eager partner. Refuting the Falsehoods teach to our children. The very author- They adopt new guises from gener- ity and impact that survivors alone can ation to generation and from setting to ne must add at this point a offer is often their disqualifying factor, setting. They may call it Pan-Arabism or somewhat parenthetical note, as well. anti-colonialism. They may be campus Owhich carries an urgency of its It is well known – certainly to speak- liberals or Bible-belt reactionaries. Their own. It is well known that a virtual ers who have had the misfortune of say- target, under whatever banner, is Jews, Holocaust Industry has been created by ing the wrong thing to the wrong audi- and we must learn to accept it as part this latest Churban.Thousands of ence – that survivors abhor any of our destiny as the children of Yaakov. books, numerous films, museums, lec- exposition of the Holocaust even Most importantly, the metastasizing of tures and experts vie for the attention remotely using the terminology of anti-Semitism should be an impetus to of those who do express interest in this reward and punishment, certainly con- teshuva,ifwe have the wisdom and subject. sidered cornerstones of Torah philoso- courage to recognize what is happening From the Torah standpoint, a great phy. The reason for this abhorrence is before our eyes. deal of this media onslaught is based that, of course, such talk hurts. We are But there are other reasons to begin upon ignorance, heresy and often driv- not talking of someone who was killed teaching Churban Europa now. The en by various agendas, which lead to in 1096, 1492 or 1648. We seem to be Holocaust deniers are growing in misunderstanding of one of the most indicting someone’s mother, husband or strength and numbers7 and those who seminal events of Jewish history and cer- child. misinterpret, distort and pervert its meaning and message are publishing and publicizing their dangerous fabri- cations at every opportunity.

Sharing the Pain

nother reason to study the Chur- WEDDINGS & ban is to teach children to be BAR MITZVAHS Amitzta’er b’tzarasam shel Yisroel – to share the pain and suffering of Klal FOR Since 1966 Yisroel.The Rambam (Hilchos Teshuva THE FINEST 3,11) writes severely of those who IN 6 Sifri, Beha’alos’cha 9:10; Rashi Bereishis 33,4. 623 CORTELYOU ROAD PHOTOGRAPHY (Off Ocean Parkway) 7 See Deborah Lipstadt, Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory (N.Y.: AND VIDEO BROOKLYN NY 11218 Plume Publishing); Ted Gottfried, Deniers of the Holocaust: Who they are, what they do, why they USA / ISRAEL do it (Connecticut: Brookfield); Werner Cohn, Partners in Hate: Noam Chomsky and the Holo- (718) 941-5500 caust Deniers?

The Jewish Observer, May 2003 13 The Individual and the Greater Nation are beyond our understanding, and only exploration of this accountability actu- this we know – that the ways of G-d are ally forms the most essential part of the n truth, we are doing no such thing, just. On the other hand, they require hashkafa portion of the Holocaust cur- for even the approaches to the study to know our duties that the ways riculum itself. IChurban that speak of retribution, of His governance come to teach us.”8 or Hashem’s rescuing us from spiritual Our Gedolim have taught us that Klal A Context for Fundamental Teachings extinction, do not indict any individual. Yisroel “was meant to go through world On the contrary, all Torah perspectives history and keep alive the teachings of tudying Churban Europa in depth recognize that “when the Angel of Hakadosh Boruch Hu…. When we fall with a teacher properly trained in Death is given free reign, he makes no short… the middas hadin of Hakadosh Sthis sensitive subject provides distinction between the righteous and Baruch Hu enters the scene to recall us many opportunities to disseminate fun- the wicked” (Bava Kamma 60a). Under- to our noble task and make us rectify damental teachings of Judaism in a con- standably, however, to a survivor, this is our failings.” They have referred to the text that can be replicated in many areas often not enough. Such talk feels like an “indisputable decline” in Klal Yisroel’s of Torah hashkafa.In this article, we can attack, which requires a response. The spiritual stature since the advent of the only touch upon these essentials, for discussion deteriorates into recrimina- Haskala movement, and the prediction indeed their detailed analysis is reserved tions and misunderstandings, and sadly of its consequences in writings such as for the curriculum itself. all dialogue becomes impossible the Meshech Chachma and the Ramchal. Tzidduk Hadin – teaching children Nevertheless, such approaches and The details of this analysis of Jewish his- the elemental lesson of accepting the will issues must be discussed; otherwise we tory are certainly beyond the scope of of G-d. This applies both to personal rob the Churban of all meaning and this limited article. Suffice it to say that events and to a decree upon Klal Yisroel. cheat the kedoshim of one of the most our Gedolim have taught us that accept- Stressing this topic inculcates in children significant and meaningful aspects of ing some sense of responsibility for our the paramount instruction that what- their martyrdom – our ability to learn fate in major events is unavoidable for ever Hashem does is purposeful and for from this event. As Rabbi Dessler has the believing Jew. A more thorough the best. Understanding and incorpo- taught us,“The ways of G-d’s Providence 8 See Michtav M’Eliyahu,Vol. III, p. 133. rating this teaching alone would justi- fy such a curriculum. The interconnection of all of Jewish history – Learning that what had hap- ARE YOU MOVING? pened during World War II was not an IS YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS PRINTED isolated phenomenon or singular event, but part of the pattern of Jewish histo- INCORRECTLY ON THE JO MAILING LABEL? ry is one of the most important lessons We need your help to ensure proper delivery of the Jewish Observer to your home. of Torah hashkafa. Please attach current mailing label in the space below, or print clearly your address and Appreciating the loss – A Torah-true computer processing numbers that are printed above your name on the address label. Holocaust curriculum details the hor- rific tragedy of losing a thousand-year tradition of yeshivos, kehillos, minhagim and family structure. Only intensive Affix old label here study of this lost world can help us appreciate the incredible parameters of the tragedy. Spiritual heroism – While no one Name ______denigrates those who resisted the Nazis New Address ______with whatever methods available, the world has until recently totally ignored City, ______the astonishing courage demonstrated State, ______Zip ______by those who blew shofar in Auschwitz, lit Chanuka candles in Bergen-Belsen, Date Effective ______and all those who maintained their faith Send address The Jewish Observer in that purgatory. There are lessons here changes to: Change of Address in Kiddush Hashem for a lifetime. 42 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004 Disappointment in the gentiles – Please allow 4-6 weeks for all changes to be reflected on your mailing label. We will not Rabbi Hutner l”xz taught us that one of be responsible for back issues missed unless you notify us 6 weeks prior to your move. the prime lessons of Jewish history is

14 The Jewish Observer, May 2003 learning not to be enamored of the gen- tiles and their ways by recognizing their unreliability throughout the ages. The Survivors Churban is certainly an eloquent tem- plate to discover and study the failure Debby Friedman of western civilization to contain or even resist the Nazi genocide. here I was, a little girl of five, because she had a funny name and The difference Torah makes – The sitting on my mother’s lap. The she wore funny clothes and they said sad saga of traditional American Jew- TShabbos candles had been lit. that no one should be her friend. So ish organizations and their apathy Mommy’s tears, still shimmering on she sat all alone and played all alone compared with the heroic story of the her gentle face, framed her smile to and walked all alone. Then I saw that Vaad Hahatzolah and Agudas Yisroel me. she was nice so I sat with her and teaches that Torah study does not merely create scholars but, when nec- “Come, Bruchele,” she said. “Let played with her and walked with her, essary, cultivates the most successful me tell you about my Mamma and too. And then my classmates said no activism the world has even known. sisters and brother, and also about one should play with me and I cried Ashreichem – Rabbi Pam l”xz insist- Bobba Esther and Zaida Elya and….” and I ran home and told my Mommy ed that study of the Holocaust end on The list would continue. A long list what had happened and Mommy the positive note of the greatness of Klal of beloved relatives gassed in Yisroel.The astounding rebirth of Torah soothed me and said she was proud after the Churban, the miraculous and Auschwitz. A list of people I knew of me and that I made Hashem heartening resurgence of the She’eiris only by name. People who would happy. Hapeleita (the community of Survivors), have loved me so much and whom I As she caressed me and hugged the heroism of Rabbi Aharon Kotler and would have loved had they survived me and comforted me, I wondered others in rebuilding is a story worthy of as my mother did. A sole survivor who caressed and hugged and com- inspiring all future generation, but must from a family in Auschwitz. be told in the context of the Churban. forted my Mommy when she was It is to accomplish these goals and hurt – this sole survivor from a fam- nd then I was eight and I was many more that Torah Umesorah cre- ily in Auschwitz. ated the Zechor Yemos Olam Program. very skinny and we learned about rickets and my class- Under the leadership of Rabbi Joseph A nd then I was 16 and I was mates started to point at me and Elias, the historic work of training teach- watching a film about the ers to present Churban Europa has tease me. “You have rickets! You AHolocaust and I saw pictures begun. As Rabbi Elias, the Education- have rickets!” I cried and I ran home of starving Jews and pictures of dying al Director, has written,“There is a great to Mommy and I told her, “I have rick- deal of caution needed in proceeding Jews and I saw children crying and ets!” She laughed and said, “You’re with these studies,” but on the other mothers crying and I saw piles of skinny, but you don’t have rickets.” hand,“studying Churban Europa can be clothes and piles of shoes and piles a potential source of beracha and And then she hugged me and gave of bones and so many trains, so many revival of Torah.” As one who is privi- me chocolate milk and smoothed my tracks and barbed wire fences and leged to have presented some of the pio- hair and as she laughed and hugged barking dogs and barking Nazis. And neering lectures in this new era of me and comforted me. I saw eyes that were dead and then, teacher training, I can attest to the I wondered who laughed with and tremendous interest in this curriculum for a split second, I saw myself there hugged and comforted her when she and the thirst for guidance in present- in Auschwitz. ing the hashkafa of this Churban. was scared – this sole survivor from a family in Auschwitz. Then I knew I was there and I ran he Gedolim have spoken to my Mommy and I hugged her and and given their enthusiastic nd then I was ten and a new I caressed her and I comforted her – Tendorsement to this important girl came to our class and me, a soul survivor from a family in new Torah endeavor. It is now up to Aeveryone made fun of her Auschwitz. yeshivos,Day Schools and parents to implement a program that Rabbi Pam Mrs. Friedman teaches in the Bais Yaakov Tiferes Rivka High School, located in Neve Yaakov, promised can bring great blessing to all Jerusalem. Her most recent article, “Breaking Down the Walls,” appeared in JO Jan. ’03. The of Klal Yisroel. ■ author is named after one of her would-be aunts who was killed in Auschwitz at the age of 16.

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Divine Love: required by halacha.“How could I pos- We are forbidden to learn Torah in A Force that Defies Limitation sibly not show favoritism to Israel?” what the Gemora calls, mevu’os hame- (See Berachos 20b.) tunafos – places through which open an the Ribbono Shel Olam ever Note that He did not say that the sewage flows. The filth and stench declare a principle, and then con- nesi’as panim, the favoritism that He make these streets an inappropriate set- Ctravene it for the love of His chil- shows to Israel is somehow different ting for Torah thoughts. In Berachos 24b, dren? We would never suggest such a from the favoritism that He is bound the Gemora rules that a talmid chacham scenario, put it seems that the Malachim to eschew. He admits that what He is may not even stand in such a street. It did think so. doing is precisely what He said He is simply impossible for him to control The Gemora reports that the would not do. But … My hands are, his thoughts. He will think in learning. Malachim came to G-d with a prob- as it were, tied. It is hard to accept. Are we not lem: He had described Himself as a As Bereishis Rabba (55:8) teaches: expected to discipline ourselves? There judge who would never show any “Ahava mekalkelles es hashura – Love are a lot of drives that we are expected favoritism – “He does not show favor” will not allow itself to be contained by to control. Why is the urge to learn (Devarim 10,17.) Nevertheless, He formal rules.” Torah different? It seems to me that we appears to have no such scruples I once read that the Rogotchover are back to the Ribbono shel Olam when it comes to His beloved Jews – Illuy’s love for Torah was so great that expressing favoritism to Klal Yisroel.The “May G-d show you favor,”He includ- even as an aveil, in a state of mourning, talmid chacham who cannot control his ed in the Kohein’s Blessings of the Jews he continued to learn, in spite of the fact love for Torah is walking in the footsteps (Bamidbar 6,26). The explanation that this is prohibited. He claimed that of the Ribbono shel Olam,Who “cannot” that He offers the Malachim is breath- he simply could not help himself. I do otherwise than be biased toward His taking in the sweep of its implications: thought that this story must be apoc- beloved people. “And shall I not show favoritism to ryphal. How could it be true? We learn Indeed, love defies the rules. them?” They go beyond the letter of Torah because that is what the Ribbono the law in saying Grace when it is not Shel Olam wants us to do. What sense Overcoming the Hurdles Rabbi Moshe Eisemann,a Rebbe in Yeshiva Ner would it make to defy the Ribbono Shel of Objectionable Settings Israel of Baltimore, is author of the translation Olam’s wish? and commentary of the ArtScroll/Mesorah In the wake of my recent experiences, can think of no area that is as defiled Yechezkel, Divrei Hayamim, and Iyov, as well as which I spent visiting the Beit Midrash and odoriferous as are the pleasant, other books under private label, including The of Berlin, I reconsidered my skepticism. newly gentrified streets of East Machzor Companion and Lighting up the Night. I He is a frequent contributor to these pages. Let me explain. Berlin where the Yeshiva is located. The

26 The Jewish Observer, May 2003 stench of rotten, rotting evil, the lega- And Then There Are the Books es to live with a situation in which cy left by the Nazis and the Communists, hundreds of thousands of Yidden in is everywhere. It envelops the passers- nd then there are the books. On Germany and central Europe are left by whose polite Gut Morgen barely hides my last day there, when I was to wither on the vine. The Yeshiva has the snarl beneath the smile. Did I say Aalone in the Beis HaMidrash for set its sights on countries outside Ger- smile? Do those leering death-masks a few moments, I took a tour of the many whom it would wish to service. that hover just beneath the surface that tables to see what was being studied. Already there are two boys from Hun- has been glued over them, have anything From the Chovos HaLevovos to Reb gary. Soon there is to be a seminar in in common with the warmth of a Tzaddok HaKohein to the Michtav which Serbia, Romania and Slovakai friendly look? Welcome to lovely, newly MeEliyahu to the latest publications of are to be represented. We may loose renovated East Berlin! Can there really (lehavdil bein chaim le’chaim) Rav some of these hundreds of thou- be a yeshiva here? Wolbe, there was nothing missing. I sands, but if, G-d forbid, we do, it will “Yes!” says Rabbi Joshua Spinner of would not bet that all the subtleties not be because the Beit Midrash of the Lauder Foundation. Not only can contained in these profound texts were Berlin did not stretch out its hands to there be, but it is unthinkable that there fully understood, but if yagatti help or open its arms to embrace should not be one. There are one hun- (I expended effort) ends in matzasi them. dred thousand Jews in the German Fed- (I succeeded), they are going to get The Yeshiva receives a generous eral Republic. Can any of us face the Rib- there pretty soon. grant from the Lauder Foundation, bono Shel Olam if we were to leave them Beit Midrash d’Berlin does not but otherwise has to do what we all do: hefker (abandoned)…? limit itself to the boys who are rely on friends who can ferret out a The strangled cry of history screams enrolled as full-time students. It runs good investment when they see (or out, “You cannot!” The Ribbono Shel programs for students who cannot read about) one. Olam, filled with sorrow at what His devote themselves fully to learning, To end off, here is a little story. children have done to themselves, and are kove’a ittim (set specific times When my good friend Rabbi Spinner answers, “How can I not?” to study), for ba’alei battim who come asked me to write this article, I began It was an unforgettable week. You just from all over Germany for weekends wondering about a suitable title. I would not believe what is going on there. of learning, practicing bnei yeshiva, decided on the one you see here, This is not a place where they are try- study groups for ladies and girls, and “Torah in Germany?” Later, when I got ing to make the best of a sorry situation. many others, which are mentioned in to see the Yeshiva’s brochure, I saw that In anybody’s book, this is a “le’chat’chi- their brochure, but which I had no they had chosen that exact line (ques- la,” a first choice. It is a yeshiva that need chance to observe while I was there. tion mark and all) to head their pres- not take a backseat to any other. Not, of Rabbi Joshua Spinner, who runs the entation. As they say: Az men geit oif course, as far as measurable knowledge organization, is no spinner of idle a glatten derech, treft men feine Men- is concerned; the boys come in various dreams. He is a hard-headed (and soft- shen. Embark on a straight road, and ages and sizes, mostly without being able hearted), stubborn realist who refus- you will encounter upright people.■ to read the Siddur.But in effort expend- ed, in dreams dreamed, in futures mapped, and in life lived, they are an inspired and inspiring lot. And they grow. O how they grow! With one of them who has been there a scant two years, I learned Maseches Makkos, bechavrusa. By the time I left, we were both struggling to understand a difficult Rambam.He has a little note- book in which he stores his questions in the hope that someday he will be able to find someone who can help. My visit did not turn out to be his lucky one. He stumped me when he asked for an explanation of why lctoh,to observe closely, is related to lco,a fool. (If any of you out there have an answer, why not visit the Beis Midrash of Berlin and dis- cuss the point?)

The Jewish Observer, May 2003 27