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Kislev 5764 • December 2003 U.S.A. $3.50/Foreign $4.50 • VOL XXXVI/NO. 10 CLICK HERE FOR TABLE OF CONTENTS THEJJewishewish Kislev 5764 • December 2003 OOBSERBSERVERVER U.S.A.$3.50/Foreign $4.50 • VOL XXXVI/NO. 10 THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) 0021- 6615 is published monthly except July and August by the Agudath Israel of This is the full Table of Contents of the print edition of the America, 42 Broadway, New York, NY10004. Periodicals postage paid in Jewish Observer. The web edition contains only a selection of New York, NY. Subscription $24.00 per articles (indicated in color). Click on the title to go to the year; two years, $44.00; three years, $60.00. Outside of the United States beginning of that article. Navigate using your browser’s menu (US funds drawn on a US bank only) $12.00 surcharge per year. Single and other options. copy $3.50; foreign $4.50. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Observer, 42 Broadway, NY., NY. 10004. Tel: 212-797-9000, Fax: COVER ARTICLE 646-254-1600. Printed in the U.S.A. 6 Searching for Meaning in the Maelstrom, RABBI NISSON WOLPIN, EDITOR Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller EDITORIAL BOARD RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT Chairman 16 Torah Shines Forth From New Haven… and Cleveland, RABBI ABBA BRUDNY JOSEPH FRIEDENSON Ari Z. Zivotofsky RABBI YISROEL MEIR KIRZNER RABBI NOSSON SCHERMAN PROF. AARON TWERSKI THREAT FROM WITHIN DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER Z”L 23 Israel and the Jews’ Jewish Problem, RABBI MOSHE SHERER Z”L Founders Rabbi Yonoson Rosenblum MANAGEMENT BOARD HANUKA SSAY AVI FISHOF, NAFTOLI HIRSCH C E ISAAC KIRZNER, RABBI SHLOMO LESIN NACHUM STEIN 30 The Chanuka Menora and The King’s Crown, Rabbi Yisroel Greenwald RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING Managing Editor Published by 33 The Beauty of a Sunset, Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk Agudath Israel of America and Mrs. Sheina Elka Falk U.S. TRADE DISTRIBUTOR ISRAELI REPRESENTATIVE Feldheim Publishers Intnl. 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Feldinger POETRY Leimanstrasse 36 4051 Basel, SWITZERLAND 37 A Friend from The Past, Mrs. Bracha Goetz THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the 40 Meeting G-d at a Garden Party, Mrs. Bracha Goetz Kashrus of any product, publication, or service advertised 43 Candlelight, Michelle Borinstein in its pages © Copyright 2003 41 Letters-to-the-Editor December 2003 VOLUME XXXVI/NO. 10 SUBSCRIBE TO THE JEWISH OBSERVER. CLICK HERE. The following article is based on two presentations by Yemos Olam Program in Chicago during the summer of Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller, Rosh Hayeshiva of Telshe Yeshi- 2002; the other, at last year’s national convention of va of Chicago: One, as part of a seminar for mechanchim Agudath Israel of America in Stamford, Connecticut. This on Churban Europe sponsored by Torah Umesorah’s Zechor article was prepared for publication by Isaac Kirzner. yl rva ‘h Csub bsa yc Searching for Meaning in the Maelstrom Gaining Strength and Faith From the Torah Renaissance That Emerged From Churban Europe I. BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION insignificance compared to that awesome peri- e live in very difficult times – know that it is od. Those who lived through it felt they with terrorism, worldwide not so: We do not control the world; we were seeing the fulfillment of the terri- Wanti-Semitism, financial do not even control our own lives. fying vision of Avraham Avinu:“And it instability and personal tragedies But there the comparison to the happened, as the sun was about to set, increasing on a frightening scale. maelstrom stops. There is no situation a deep sleep fell on Avram; and behold Searching for order and purpose in a of hopelessness. Hashem is in charge. We – a dread! – a great darkness fell upon complicated and depressing period of know that in His great mercy and wis- him” (Bereishis 15,12). The Midrash tells history while living through it can be dom, Hashem has a plan for the Jewish us that the four expressions, (1) dread! compared to searching for meaning in people and for the world. We know that (2) a great (3) darkness (4) fell upon the maelstrom, a huge whirlpool off the every event in human history, whether him, refer to the four periods of Galus coast of Norway. If you are caught up great or small, leads to an ultimate glo- that the Jewish people were to endure in the maelstrom, there is very little rious resolution.“Kol ma de’avid Rach- through their painful history: Bavel meaning you can find in it. You are help- mana letav avid – Everything that (Babylonia), Madai (Persia), Yavan lessly trapped in a dizzying situation Hashem does, He does for the good” (Greece), and Edom (Rome). (Midrash over which you have no control. Perhaps (Berachos 60b). But how the events to Rabba 44,17) We are now living through that itself is a meaning that Hashem is which we are witness in our own life- Galus Edom, which began with the conveying to us. When everything time lead to the geula sheleima (ultimate destruction of the Second Beis Hamik- seems just fine and we are completely redemption) escapes us. dash by the Roman empire and contin- in control of the situation, He lets us To reinforce our faith in Hashgacha ues through the present day. The (Hashem’s ongoing involvement in the Midrash cites Daniel’s prophetic vision Mr. Kirzner of Brooklyn, NY, a member of The world), let us review the events of Chur- of four fierce beasts, each corresponding J.O.’s management board, edited the English trans- lation (from the French) of Rabbi Eli Munk’s The ban Europe and its aftermath. Our to one of the Galuyos.The fourth Call of the Torah, published by ArtScroll. present difficulties pale into beast, far more terrifying and awesome 6 The Jewish Observer, December 2003 than the others, represents Edom (Daniel 7,7). During Churban Europe, all those ashem’s Hashgacha works in inscrutable evils seemed to have been rolled into one. There was terror, darkness, suffering, and downfall, and there was no hope and Hways, and that which seems to be absolutely no explanation for what was transpiring. A thousand years of Jewish completely bad can be the vehicle for great good life, great yeshivos,Chassidic courts, kehil- los kedoshos (holy communities) were destroyed in a few short years. and serve as the means to achieve it. II. PATTERNS IN HISTORY ut the time that has since passed gives us a perspective that we did before [on Mount Sinai]…” ibid 9,27). If we saw “and the land of your ene- Bnot possess earlier. After the From an impending tragedy which mies will swallow you,”we also saw the smoke has subsided, perhaps we can appeared at the time hopelessly fulfillment of the promise: “But despite begin to perceive the outlines of a pat- unavoidable emerged a new kabbolas all this, while they will be in the land tern,a pattern that should inspire haTorah, an enthusiastic acceptance of of their enemies, I will not despise them amazement and wonder. Torah, which changed the course of the nor will I reject them to obliterate Over 200 years ago, Rabbi Chaim history of the Jewish people. The megilla them, to annul My covenant with Volozhiner said that America would be is called “Esther”because the miracle was them, for I am Hashem, their G-d” the last station of Torah before the geula hidden (nistar) in what seemed a nat- (Vayikra 26,44). And perhaps in under- sheleima, and he burst into tears. The ural course of events.1 standing this, we can gain some per- author of Nachalas David,Rabbi David spective, some powerful tools to navi- Tevel, was present and asked, “But The Tochacha Perspective gate the stormy, troubled waters in Rebbi,why are you crying?” which we now find ourselves. Reb Chaim answered, “Oy,Reb hat we saw during the period The mystery of Jewish suffering Dovid Tevel, you don’t know how of Churban Europe,which throughout the ages was expressed by much pain this will involve…with how Wappeared to us as utter dark- David Hamelech in the words: “Mish- much suffering, anguish, and shefichas ness and destruction, beyond under- patecha tehom rabba,Your judgments damim (bloodshed) this will come standing, was part of a miraculous man- are [like] the great depths of the about….”We witnessed it. ifestation of Hashgacha.And when we ocean” (Tehillim 36,7). Human When reviewing Megillas Esther, the understand that, we will also understand understanding cannot hope to plumb miracle that transpired in ancient Per- that these were not a series of random the depths of Hashem’s judgments, sia seems easy to grasp. But if you would occurrences, but part of a process of the which we witnessed. But we also saw have lived through it, and stopped the fulfillment of Divine prophecies – as “tzidkas’cha keharerei eil,Your right- sequence of events at any point, they harsh as they were – which in themselves eousness is like the mighty moun- would seem to be almost unrelated – a can give Jews the strength to look for- tains.” Our faith in the towering royal celebration, a search for a new ward and to hope for the yeshua (sal- righteousness of Hashem,His good- queen, overheard conspiracies, a terri- vation), which the Nevi’im also foretold.