Germany,.1~:58••• • D JAL.A ..D AF Hllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllUllllllHlllHHlllllllllllllllll Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll II lllfllllllll •Follows the Daf Yomi schedule• Available in English or Yiddish• Expert Maggidei Shiur •Begins every hour-on-the-hour• Learn along with the program or use it as a mm of your own shiur. "'OMI BEGINNING FOURTH vie OF m:ii:i n:>'OI:) SHIUR I. lllllllllDllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll'December 14, 1988 - ""l:)'tlS'I n:i" '' • • Shiur in Gemora with Rashi •Taught in Yiddish• Approximately an -rlr.>Ya day• Relevant Rishonim and Achronim discussed as well as the Halacha • Begins every hour-on-the-hour• Began with n1'.l,~ l'l'.>OY.l and continuing according to 0"1im i-ro • Friday's Shiur repeated on P"YJ~1r.i. • D JAL.A-S HIUR 111111111111111111111111111111111111111m111111m11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 •Yiddish and English Torah programming• Includes 26Shiurim and Lectures• Talented, interesting teachers from around the world• Topics include: Ein Yaakov, Nach, Halacha, Jewish History, Tefilos, Stories, Hashkofah, Weeky Sedra, Tehillim, Holocaust, Mishnayos (Yiddish), Medrash and Taryag Mitzvos • 2 hours of programming every day• 18 minute English Shiurim • 30 minute Yiddish Shiurim . • •A study of the nwr.i •i-ro nYJVJ •Taught in English •Begins every half-hour. COST: (per program): LIMITED TIME OFFER When you register by February 1, 1989 and pay for the first twelve months NO REGISTRATION FEE all you pay per program is $6 PER MONTH RETURN TO: Enclosed is $72 for the first year. My $36 TORAH COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, 1618-43 St., Brooklyn, N.Y.11204 (718) 436-4999 registration fee has been waived. Please enroll me in: Name ---------------lei. _______ .D DIAL-A-OAF Yiddish Address--------- City ____ state __ Zip ___ 0 DIAL-A-OAF English 0 MISHNAH ON THE PHONE D DIAL-A-SHIUR For tape copies contact Torah Tapes, 1814-SOth Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11204 (718) 438~3904 D SHIUR YOMI RVER 5 RABBI SAMSON RAPHAEL HIRSCH AND TORAH IM DERECH ERETZ Introduction Rabbi Joseph Elias Torah Proper or Hora'as Sha' ah? Dr.Leo Levi THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN} 14 0021-6615 is published monthly ex­ ceptJuly and August. by the Agudath The Crooked Mirror m: Israel of America. 84 William Street, Anti-Orthodox Sentiment in the Media New York. NY 10038. Second class Nisson Wolpin postage paid at New York. NY Subsciip­ tion $18.00 per year: two years, $30.00: three years. $40.00. Outside of the 23 United States (US funds only} $10 sur­ Two Letters charge per year. Single copy: $2.50: foreign: $3.00. Send address changes "Dear Mrs. Tishman.'' Robert Johnson to The Jewish Observer, 84 William St .. "Dear Mr. Johnson," Rabbi Moshe Sherer NY.. N.Y. 10038. TeL 12I2} 797-9000. Printed in the U.S.A. 27 RABBI NISSON WOLPIN. Editor Legators and Heirs Nahum J. Duker Editorial Board DR ERNST BODENHEIMER Chairman 33 No Recipe For Half-Baked Judaism RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS Yisroel Spiegel JOSEPH FRIEDENSON RABBINOSSONSCHERMAN RABBI MOSHE SHERER 37 Second Looks on the Jewish Scene Management Board NAFTOLI HIRSCH ConGraduations, It's All Over. Dr. Bernard Fryshman ISAAC KlRZNER An Open Letter to My Neighbor Down the Street RABBI SHLOMO LESIN NACHUM STEIN 43 RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING Books in Review Business Mmwger New Books For Youth I Halacha Publications THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Kashrus 51 of any product or service advertised in its pages. "•.. " (with and without comment) © CopyrJght I988 51 If Only DECEMBER I 988 Hillel Goldberg VOLUME XXI/NUMBER 9 52 Letters to the Editor >_, ',_',, ,' · ..:··. < >'.·'. '·-- .. · .'S0me :. of '._the ... Ptto_ioita~.h~.·.·.·+~at~ .In .·the·. article·'.'Gat~h'¢lld,. the._Jeru~ We apologize for unavoidable factors that have delayed the appearance . Slllem ._,of . Englimd"c .'flio"'ifolier 'B~/ .were ot>tatn<'d by Jhe C<?tit;!'S)'of the of this issue. The next issue, Jan.-Feb. 1989, will be a 100-page Twenty­ ,J_e,w.tsfi :.Chtti.rtit1€•.. t.ontJaiL·~hert(tl:'!e)r. fifth Anniversary edition, bringing you samples of the most striking, ~PtR'~;·a~.P~>9f~,~~or:s,:ippteµt~Iit; thought-provoking, and inspiring art ides that have appeared in The Jewish 'l)n ·Gate§h~tJ 'OttS€I>tethbet.2;.· ..lf!i,87~. Observer over the past quarter of a century. " ·.· ....·.:·.. ' .· A Unique Sefer for B'nai Torah to Learn and Enjoy ... ln one magnificent volume Sefet Mesoras .HaShekel,. in Hebrew, places at your fingertips the Torah's moneyI weight system-tracing a tradition of over 2000 years. As an historical first, Mesoras HaShekel reveals a secret that is over 500 years old: The precise shiurim of the Torah's shekel, perutah, etc. At one time. these shiurim were determined by the varied method of weighing batley grains; whereas the current· find­ ings are based upon the precise mesorah of our Poskim who relied upon acknowledged statl.dard weights-accurate to within 111000 of a gram. To further enhance your learning, the ~ext contains a number or high-quality photographs including: the shekel and machatzis hashekel mi.nted before Charban Bayis Sheni; the actual gold dinar discussed in the Mishna and Gemoro makes its photographic debut in this sefer-in full color; and there are many other photographs of coin specimens-spanning over 2000 years- that pertain to various contemporary halachik issues (i.e. pidyon haben, kesuba, perutah, ett. ). HARDCOVER $14.95 Among this sefer's special features: • Derailed analyses of pertinent sugyos in shas and relevant halachos; • 32 phorographs-8 in full color; • Convenient tables, charts, documents, table of contents, index-and the text is fully annotated. • The sefer is handsomely baund and printed on durable, high-quality srock. Mesoras HaShekel by Rabbi Shmuel Zev Reich carries the haskomos .')Vil n'ln 1tJtl ~lOl Jp'lln 11'~no ofleadingGeonim Shlita, and is excellent foruseinboth Yeshivaand Bais nvi,.pn O'JVJ·ri' ::Pn:n1 Medrash, for layman and scholar alike. Available at your local Hebrew book store or directly from the author at: Kolel Publications, Suite 8, 411 Lawrence Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5M lCl I 416-787-6466 or Kolel Publications, 1303 Dirmas Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11226 I 718-856-1645 0 FELD HEIM PUBLlSHEllS 200 Airport Executive Patk, Spring Valley, RY.10977 J!i Tel. (914) 356-2282/0ut of State, call toll free: 800c23 7-714.9 Visa. & MastetCard accepted Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch ? 11 ~l On the twenty-sixth day of Applied to the Jew's relationship to Teves it is a hundred years since the society at large, it took the form of passing of Rabbi Samson Raphael Torah Im Derech Eretz (the use of Hirsch ;111 ~t. There were many in his general culture in the service of lifetime who viewed him with dis­ Torah), to be realized in our educa­ dain, as the champion of outdated tional institutions. Applied to our ideas and a Jost cause. Others communal and organizational con­ admired him as the redeemer and cerns, it meant that the Jewish savior of German Jewry. Still others people's cohesion-nationally, respected his gifted pen and brtlliant regionally, locally-could only be thought. But surely vety few antic­ built on a common loyalty to Torah. ipated that, while much more Applied to the exploration of the famous contemporaries of his have treasures of our sacred herttage, it been almost totally forgotten, Rabbi required that we should seek in it S. R Hirsch would be a toweling the answers to the problems and presence on the Jewish scene a issues of our time. The details of how hundred years later, his ideas the his grand design was to be realized, subject of Intense analysis, his works obviously depended ingreat measure studied-in diverse languages-all on the changing conditions and over the world. And this despite the needs of different times and places. historic upheavals that marked Not so the basic idea itself-he did these hundred years, the destruction not see himself as its ortginator, but of the European Jewry that he knew, merely as chosen to impress it upon and the rtse of new centers of Jewish his age. The Nineteen Letters (pub­ life and Torah study under totally lished in 1836) was the first work new conditions. specifically written to meet the Yet. while his name is a household challenges posed by the modern, word in the Jewish world, this does secular world to traditional Judaism. not mean that there is an under­ But the ideas which it presented so standing of what he stood for. Some tive reactions to the mention of his brllliantly were drawn from the see him as the champion of Orthodox name-there is little real under­ wealth of the Torah's teachlngs­ acculturation to the modem world standing of his teachings. Yes, he did and that is, of course, why they still and interpret "Torah Im Derech stress that the Torah Jew should not have such a dynamic impact. Natu­ Eretz" as mandating a college degree retreat from the world around him, rally, not only the structure of his for every Jew: they view him as a but tty to mold it in accordance with wrtttngs but many of the Insights founding father of what is (or used the compromising demands of that we find in them were ortglnal: to be) called Modem Orthodoxy. Torah. And yes, he argued that the but they had their roots in the Others consider him the drtving Jewish community can only find fullness of Torah. However, the force behind Orthodox separation, unity on the basis of Torah. But one manner in which he presented his and believe that he was only con­ of his descendants, in a recent great vision and how he applied It cerned thatfrumJews should be able article, stressed that these were only in practice-that was where the to "make Shabbos for themselves," aspects of his teachings but not the creativity, wisdom.and total commit­ totally disinterested in the rest of the core.