MYSTERY OF THE MISSING YEARS ew hardships are as tough to handle as a breadwinner's unemployment. But few hardships are as quickly resolved. FAll it takes is one job to turn a family's worry and strain into peace and security. With unemployment at a rate unprecedented in recent times, many frum families are suffering. ''Sometimes We are using this opportunity to urge everyone to comb his or her own resources for any and all job openings. Ask the person­ nel director at your job. Ask friends and relatives, especially those who own businesses. with very If you know of openings, call (718) 436-1900. 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NY 11218 Financial Analysts Tax Auditors Phone (718) 436-1900 Fund Managers Traffic Managers Fax(718)633-6113 Industrial Engineers ER THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) 0021-6615 is published monthly except July and August by the Agudath Israel of America, 84 William Street, New York, N.Y. 10038. Second class postage paid in New York, N. Y. Subscription $22 .00 per year; two years, $36.00; three years, $48.00. Outside of the United States (US funds drawn on a US bank only) $12.00 surcharge per year. 4 Singlecopy$3.00; foreign $4.00. Send address The Mandate To Promote Kiddush Sheim Shamayim changes to: The Jewish Observer, 84 William BASED ON AN ADDRESS BY RABBI ELVA SVEJ, N"1""1!J Street, N.Y., N.Y. 10038. Tel: (212) 797-9000. Printed in the U.S.A. 9 RABBI NISSON WOLPIN, EDITOR The Clash Between Modernity and Eternity EDITORIAL SOARD BASED ON AN ADDRESS BY THE NoVOMINSKER REBBE, DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER Chairman RABBI YAAKOV PERLOW, N"1''71!1 RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS JOSEPH FRIEOENSON 16 RABBI NOSSON SCHERMAN Mystery of the Missing Years MANAGEMENT SOARD Rabbi Yisroel Reisman AVI FISHOF NAFTOLI HIRSCH ISAAC KIRZNER 20 RABBI SHLOMO LESIN Acts Of The Unfaithful NACHUM STEIN Fyvel Shuster RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING Business Manag1>r 24 Published by A Tribute to Rebbetzin Feige Wasserman, '1")) Agudath Israel of America Dr. Sara E. Freifeld RABBI MOSHE SHERER PRESIDENT SECOND LooKs ON THE JEWISH SCENE SOLE U.S. TRADE OlSIBIBUTOR EUROPEAN REPRESENTATIVE Feldhelm Publishers M.T. Bibelman 30 Lost Jewry's Spiritual Quest 200 Airport Executive Park Grosvenor Works Spring Valley. N.Y. 10977 Mount Pleasant Hill London ES 9NE. ENGLAND 33 New Times, New Perspectives ISRAELI DISTRIBUTOR AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR Rabbi Menachem Zupnlk NechemJa Rosenberg Gold's Book & Gitt Co. Kiryat Te!she Stone, 108A 36 William Street O.N. Harei Yehuda, ISRAEL Balaclava 3183, Vic .. AUSTRALIA 35 Letters to the Editor THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Kashrus of any product, publication, or service 39 advertised in its pages Dateline: 84 William Street ©Copyright 1994 JANUARY 1994 VOLUME XXVI I NO. 10 The ManOare to Promoffi filOOush ~heim ~hamapm Based on an address by Rabbi Elya Svei, N"t'~ Rosh Hayeshiva ofthe Yeshiva ofPhiladelphia. I. OF OVER-CONFIDENCE integrity on the morrow. On the mor­ AND SETBACKS row your daughter will be violated." This may seem difficult. After all, vety unusual. seemingly inex­ as long as Yaakovwas in La.van's em­ plicable occurrence that ploy, his devotion and integrity were E befalls Klal Yisroel, Chazal so exemplary that Yaakov emerged as say, must have some sort of initial the paradigm of Emes, to be eternally cause, with a lesson to teach us. identified with this attribute. Yet Thus, the violation of Dena by Yaakov was still faulted. His self-as­ Shechem (see Bereishis,Chap. 24), so surance somehow implied a relaxing contrary to the values and conduct of of his guard against a lack of adher­ Yaakov Avinu's family, must have ence to principle. As a result, his fam­ come from some earlier weakness. i]y ultimately suffered a major breach Indeed, the Midrash points out that in its integrity. the misfortune befell Yaakov because he had transgressed the principle: Like Passengers Aboard a inr.l 01'7 ?7nnn ?N-"Do not be sure of Sinking Ship yourself in regard to the morrow" (Mishlei27,l). is past year we have endured When Yaakov had arranged the a Chillul Hashem of major terms for his tending Lavan's sheep, T:proportions that reflects unfa­ he set up a number of safeguards to vorably on our Torah institutions. protect Lavan's property from em­ Unfortunately, we cannot proudly de­ bezzlement, adding, "My integrity will clare: "My integrity will answer for answer for me on the morrow" me" on this morrow. (Bereishis 30,33). According to Rabbi Reading the Report of the Nunn Yehuda ben Rav Shimon, G-d re­ Commission on the misappropriation sponded: "You are so assured of your of government funds by certain edu- 4 The Jewish Observer. January 1994 cational institutions', we cannot rah institutions. But take note of a its impact on whatever is near, so too shrug off the smear against us by letter from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, must Torah transform whoever is ex­ saying, "It was thattnstitution... their ?"ll!, wrttten 17 years ago: posed to it: he learns wisdom, humil­ actions." The Chi11u1Hashemmust be We must be grateful to G-d that af­ ity, modesty, good deeds, appropriate borne by all of us, for the status of all ter the Churban [of World War II], He conduct. Torah students has fallen. This af­ brought us to a benevolent country When a person studies Torah, it that supports students in their stud­ fects us all. ies, and helps bnei Torah maintain should be apparent tn his conduct, in As Targum Yonasan ben Uziel says their courses of Torah study. We his very betng. Thus every Torah Jew in regard to the command, "Do not must be grateful [to this nation] and must realize that he carries the steal": "Do not be mends or partners pray for its welfare and for the well­ Ribbono Shel Olam's Torah with him with thieves, lest your children grow being of its leaders. At the same time, in all his endeavors-tu his business up to be thieves." It is thus the re­ we must be aware that G-d in His To­ transactions as well as in his social rah commands us to take heed not to sponsibility of the entire Kial Yisroel take more than the officially pre­ interactions. that there be no thieves amongst us. scribed amounts, even if loopholes When the Jews reached Mara on Histortcally, our shtadlonim, those exist for evading the rules .... And their way to Sinai, Moshe Rabbeinu who advocated and lobbied with offi­ quite apart from thievery, such acts taught them chok umishpat-stat­ utes and ordinances. The Ramban cials on behalf of the Jewish People, are forbidden as deception, misrepre­ sentation and-worst of all-Chillul spells out Moshe's lessons. Having were tnvariably Gedolei Torah (such left Egypt together en masse, in such as Reb Itzel Volozhtn tn his time, the Hashem. In addition, they constitute a bizayon which besmirches Torah close quarters to each other, the Jews Chofetz Chaim and Reb Meir Shapiro and its scholars. There is no way in must maintain certain levels of con­ tn their times). By contrast, today the duct: You must love one another. oth­ situation is such that any young up­ erwise you will never survive. You must accept the counsel of the sages. start who has some kind of connec­ Every Torah Jew must You must establish safeguards of tion tn the nation's capital will employ modesty, especially in view of your unacceptable tactics, and we are pre­ realize that he carries the crowded living conditions. You will pared to become his partners. inevitably encounter bands of non­ The Chazafs parable for this situ­ Ribbono Shel Ofam's Torah Jews who will be selling you their ation is well known. wares; deal with them with integrity.... A passenger aboard a ship drills a with him in all his This code of conduct was issued to hole in the floor ofhis compartment, and the Jews before the Torah was given all the other passengers are in uproar: endeavors-in his business at Sinai. We certainly carry a charge to "You're endangering our lives!" promote Kiddush Sheim Shamayim! "Mind your own business, " he re­ transactions as well as in Perhaps such effort on our part will torts. "I paid my way. The hole is in my contrtbute to a mitigation of the ter­ compartment." his social interactions. rible ChaLul Sheim Shamayim cur­ But the seas are stormy, and rently plaguing us. everyone's ship wm sink.