Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Don't marry who your rav tells you to

"When it comes to a marriage, not I can help you, not your father can help you, not your mother can help you, not your seichel [your intellectual faculties] can help you. The only thing that can help you is your heart. If you feel for her, go ahead. If you don't do not." Lubavitcher Rebbe

Joseph Telushkin, Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History (New York, 2014), p. 189, who quotes what the Rebbe told R. Leibel Groner


Thursday, December 23, 2021

Rav Avigdor Miller on Torah Lishma



Q:

What does it mean to learn Torah lishmah?

A:

To learn Torah lishmah first means, like everybody knows, that you’re motivated because you want to know, “What does Hashem request of me? What does he desire of me?” That’s number one.  

But it doesn’t mean that you should merely have a good intention. You have to put in the labor because to understand what Hashem wants of you , you must have a certain achievement of the intellect.  It’s never easy to know מה ה' אלוקיך שואל מעמך.  Don’t think it’s easy to know.

That’s why when the ger came to Shamai and said, “Teach me on one foot how to become a Jew,” Shammai said, “Get out of here! On one foot you want to learn the Torah?!” 


And even when he came to Hillel and Hillel said, “Come, I’ll tell you,” Hillel didn’t really tell him.  He only said, “You have to know that if you’ll study the rule I’m giving you, that’ll be the foundation. I’m giving you a rule: ‘What you don’t want others to do to you, don’t do to others.’ Now, that’s the rule,” Hillel said, “and the rest is an explanation. ואידך פירושא – study the rule because it needs explanation; so go learn.”

So Torah lishmah requires effort.  And the more effort you put in, the more it’s lishmah.  Don’t make any mistake about it.  Lishmah doesn’t mean you learn superficially.  It has to be with the motivation to do the will of Hashem, but it must be with yegiah, with effort to learn Torah.  And every Jew who puts in effort will succeed in gaining the will of Hashem more.  Hashem’s ratzon, His favor, is upon those who seek His will; those who seek to know His will.

TAPE # 900

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Only by means of God's direction intervention

 "I looked and there was no one (among the nations) helping (the Jewish people)." Haftarah Nitzavim

"This verse teaches us that we must not make the mistake of hoping that any political, sociological, or other/natural human process per se will lead us to Redemption. The true Redemption can occur only by means of God's direction intervention, which we will elicit and hasten by fulfilling our Divine mission to make the world His home by by dissemination of Divine consciousness through prayer, the study of Torah, and the performance of the commandments. In the words of the sages of the Talmud, "We have no one to rely on save our Father in heaven."

Lubavitcher Rebbe, Hitva'aduyot 5722, Vol. 2, p. 289, Haftarah, parshas Nitzavim, Chayenu, 2019.


This is similar to this:


“When, during the reign of Hadrian, the uprising led by Bar Kochba proved a disastrous error, it became essential that the Jewish people be reminded for all times of another important fact; namely, that Israel must never again attempt to restore its national independence by its own power; it was to entrust its future as a nation solely to Divine Providence. Therefore when the nation, crushed by this new blow, had recovered its breath and hailed even the permission to give a decent burial to the hundreds of thousands who had fallen about Betar as the dawn of a better day, the sages who met at Yavneh added yet another blessing to the prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem. This fourth blessing is an acknowledgement that it has always been G-d and G-d alone Who has given us, and still gives us to this very day, that good in which we have had cause to rejoice; and that for future good, too, we may look to none other but G-d, and none besides Him." 

R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Commentary to the Prayer Book, p. 703



Yiras Shamayim Must Be Taught


A principal of a Lubavitch school was once asked to speak at the annual convention of Torah Umesorah. When he asked the Rebbe what to address in his talk, the Rebbe responded in a note: “It is imperative that you say – in my name or not, as you see fit – that it is absolutely necessary to teach the children yiras Shamayim. “All agree that one cannot be a doctor without studying medicine, so how could they expect the children to be yerei Shamayim without teaching it? “In days bygone, this was absorbed at home, and the children saw it on the street. But times have changed. The only source for yiras Shamayim is the school, therefore it must be taught. “And giving the children 15 minutes a day to learn a mussar sefer of their choice cannot suffice at all. In fact, it sends a negative message, because the child says to himself that every other subject has a mandatory timeframe, from a specific book, and a special teacher is hired – so this topic must be inferior!” The Rebbe concluded the note, “Say this with a full breitkait (confidence), without fear, with a great tumult, with force. And Hashem will grant you success.” (Simpson Teshurah, Cheshvan 5771) 


Thursday, November 18, 2021

A Liturgy within a Liturgy: The German Torah Service in Past & Present.

Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz

503 South Broadway  Ste. 215

Yonkers, NY  10705

Ph:(914)423-6900   Fax:(914)963-3921

                               www.moreshesashkenaz.org    E-mail: aashkenaz@arnat.com

 

 

I would like to bring to your attention a webinar which will take place on Sunday, Nov-21-2021 at 11:00AM EST which is 6:00 PM in Israel.

This webinar will present an international open study session discussing:

 

A Liturgy within a Liturgy: The German Torah Service in Past & Present.

 

This webinar is presented by the European Center for Jewish Music, The Institute for Music, Theater and Media in Germany, and the Jewish Music Research Center at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

 

Sunday, November 21, 2021; 17 Kislev 5782 at 11am (USA, EST); 17:00 (CET); 18:00 (Israel) https://huji.zoom.us/j/81667736324?pwd=Z0JNTS9LdGQvc3l4V2hnY2MwK3dudz09

 


 


Sunday, October 31, 2021

Rabbi Miller on knowledge of secular subjects

 Q:

Why do you oppose the study of secular subjects? Didn’t the Vilna Gaon study secular subjects?


A:

I didn’t mention secular subjects at all tonight. I did not mention it at all, so I’m innocent. However, on the question of secular subjects, there’s no question at all that knowledge of secular subjects comes in handy. No question at all; very handy. The problem however is where to get it from; that’s something else.


Rabbi Avigdor Miller, TAPE # 60

Monday, October 25, 2021

Mentors

The Machpeilah Cave is the burial site of Adam and Eve, the first human beings; as such, it originally belonged to all humanity. In purchasing it, Abraham articulated G‑d’s intention that the mission originally given to humanity as a whole now be passed on to the Jewish people. By accepting this task, the Jewish people were fundamentally separating themselves from the rest of humanity and assuming the role of its mentors. It is our challenge to recognize this destiny today, as well. (Lubavitcher Rebbe, Daily Wisdom, Chayei Sara, First Reading)

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Rav Avigdor Miller on The Kindness of Teshuva

 Rav Avigdor Miller on The Kindness of Teshuva


Q:

Considering what you spoke about tonight, that our acts in this world are eternal, so what role does repentance play in our life? Does it reverse the act we did?


A:

The question is, in view of the fact that a person’s act is eternal how can teshuva reverse the deeds of wickedness?


Now, that you have to know is a very big problem. And that’s why teshuva is considered one of the great kindlinesses of Hashem. It’s a great chesed and a great neis. Teshuva means that Hashem is going to step into the process of history and He’s going to cause things to disappear from history.


Now that’s something that is beyond our ability to explain. That’s why when we say ברוך אתה השם הרוצה בתשובה – We thank You Hashem, the One who wants repentance, we have to understand the full impact of that blessing. That You Hashem are willing to accept teshuva! You are the One who makes teshuva because You erase the stain that we created on our souls. And it’s something that nobody can explain. Only that it’s one of the great miracles that Hakodosh Boruch Hu accomplishes and therefore we should appreciate how great is the kindness of teshuva.

TAPE # 378

via t.me/torasavigdor


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Tuesday, September 14, 2021

refining all humanity

 


[Moses said,] “[G‑d] made [the Jewish people] surround Him [by commanding them to camp around the Tabernacle].” Deuteronomy 32:10

By studying the Torah regularly, we construct a “Tabernacle,” i.e., a dwelling for G‑d, in our personal lives. By commanding the Jewish people to encamp around the Tabernacle, G‑d teaches us that we should center our lives around this inner sanctuary. The innermost point of the Tabernacle was the Ark, which housed the Tablets of the Covenant, i.e., the Torah. When the Torah is the focal point around which our lives revolve, it can positively affect all facets of our lives, as it is meant to. Furthermore, once the Torah is illuminating and influencing our lives as it is meant to, its influence can spread still further outward, enlightening and refining all humanity and the entire world. (Lubavitcher Rebbe, Daily Wisdom, p. 429).

(Lubavitcher Rebbe, Daily Wisdom, p. 429).

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

gladdens the heart

 Man must worship his Creator not only out of a feeling of absolute decree and coercion but also out of spontaneous variegated desire and aspiration which gladdens the heart. The Torah commands us to serve God with joy, with longing and yearning, enjoyment and happiness, unfettered pleasure, and the soul's delight. When man does not see God and sense His presence at every turn; when he thinks of God only out of fear of punishment, with a cool intellect, without ecstasy, joy or enthusiasm; when his actions lack soul, inwardness and vitality, then his religious life is flawed. At the same time, if man is not always aware of God, if he does not walk with God in all his ways and paths, if he does not sense God's touch on his stooped shoulders in times of distress and loneliness imparting a certain comfort and encouragement, the his service is likewise incomplete. (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, And From There You Shall Seek in Mesorat HaRav Siddur, p. 77)

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Gentiles Matter Too

The more, indeed, Judaism comprises the whole of man and extends its declared mission to the salvation of the whole of mankind, the less it is possible to confine its outlook to the four cubits of a synagogue and the four walls of a study. The more the Jew is a Jew, the more universalist will his views and aspirations be, the less aloof will he be from anything that is noble and good, true and upright, in art or science, in culture or education; the more joyfully will he applaud whenever he sees truth and justice and peace and the ennoblement of man prevail and become dominant in human society: the more joyfully will he seize every opportunity to give proof of his mission as a Jew, the task of his Judaism, on new and untrodden ground; the more joyfully will he devote himself to all true progress in civilisation and culture--provided, that is, that he will not only not have to sacrifice his Judaism but will also be able to bring it to more perfect fulfilment. He will ever desire progress, but only in alliance with religion. He will not want to accomplish anything that he cannot accomplish as a Jew. Any step which takes him away from Judaism is not for him a step forward, is not progress. He exercises this self-control without a pang, for he does not wish to accomplish his own will on earth but labours in the service of God. He knows that wherever the Ark of his God does not march ahead of him he is not accompanied by the pillar of the fire of His light or the pillar of the cloud of His grace.

(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Collected Writings, Vol. VI, pp. 107-150, “Religion Allied to Progress”)


God has dispersed Yisrael among the nations as עבד and שפחה, as "servant" and "handmaiden," to labor on behalf of God's great work on behalf of mankind. Yisrael is called "a servant" to indicate the arduous labor inherent in its outward position vis-à-vis the nations, and "a handmaiden" to denote the joyous fulfillment of its life's task within the sphere of its own homes, families and communities. For the proper discharge of both these tasks Yisrael needs extraordinary spiritual and moral talents and energy; and it is for these faculties that Yisrael looks up to God its God even as a "servant" and a "handmaiden" would look up to their Master.

(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on Tehillim 123, 2)


When Abraham, the first Jew, was sent out into the world, he was commanded: 'Heyai bracha.' 'Be a blessing.' Unlike those self-centered others who seek blessings only for themselves, you are to devote yourself completely to your calling, namely, to become a blessing, to help increase the happiness and prosperity of those among whom you dwell, and to advance the work of God in your environment with every breath of your life and every ounce of your strength.

( Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, "The Educational Value of Judaism")


The more we understand that Judaism reckons with all of man's endeavors, and the more its declared mission includes the salvation of all mankind, the less can its views be confined to the four cubits of one room or one dwelling...The more the Jew is a Jew, the more joyously will he hail everything that will shape human life so as to promote truth, right, peace, and refinement among mankind, the more happily will he himself embrace every opportunity to prove his mission as a Jew on new, still untrodden grounds.

(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, "Religion Allied with Progress)


And, indeed, if most of our brethren would live as true Jews, then most of the conditions that now bar the Jew from so many careers could be eliminated. If only all Jews who travel or who are active in business life were to insist on observing their duties as Jews, this insistence would bring about the possibility of fulfilling all religious requirements...Why, even in official institutions of civic and political life, enlightened governments and nations would gladly accommodate a loyalty of conscience which would represent a significant contribution made by a Jewish citizen to the overall society of fellow citizens among whom he dwells.

(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, "Religion Allied with Progress")


At the end of Psalm 95 we were told of a negative aspect of our task while in Galuth, namely, of the errors from which we must guard ourselves during our long wanderings through exile. This Psalm, on the other hand, has as its theme the fulfillment of the great and blissful purpose of our journeys among the nations, namely the "wakening of awe" of God throughout the world, of which mention was already made in Verse 1 of Psalm 95. It is Yisrael's task to enter into the midst of the nations with a "new song" that is to "behold" God's greatness, and the "newness" of this song lies in the fact that in it, we read the call שירו לה' כל הארץ, summoning all of mankind to unite in "beholding" the greatness of the One God.

(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Commentary on Psalm 95)


All thy holy ones serve as Thy instruments to this end. Not only Israel but also the rest of mankind will benefit from the educational and moral influence of those among Israel who hallow their lives by faithfully observing this Law. These individuals tacitly serve as a light to all mankind, as models showing how man's sacred calling is to be put into practice. Though we are told above that even Seir and Paran, nations closely related to Israel, were not yet sufficiently mature to accept the Law, the revelation of the Law to Israel on Mount Sinai was intended to benefit all mankind. With and through Israel, the ground was prepared for the future gathering of all mankind to perform its duty toward God .... Only through the Law, whose bearer Israel became at Sinai, will the lessons imparted to the other nations by historical experience attain their purpose ....

(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Commentary on Devarim 33:3, translation by Gertrude Hirschler)


In order for this be a reality a prisoner must be allowed to maintain a sense that he is created in the image of God; he is a human being who can be a reflection of Godliness in this world. But when a prisoner is denied this sense and feels subjugated and controlled; never allowed to raise up his head, then the prison system not only fails at its purpose, it creates in him a greater criminal than there was before. One of the goals of the prison system is to help Jewish inmates and non-Jewish inmates ... to raise up their spirits and to encourage them, providing the sense, to the degree possible, that they are just as human as those that are free; just as human as the prison guards. In this way they can be empowered to improve themselves ...

(Lubavitcher Rebbe, “The Backstory of the Chassidim Who Got Criminal Justice Reform Done Inspired by the Lubavitcher Rebbe,” Dovid Margolin)


The true and complete Redemption depends on “bringing the entire world to recognize the sovereignty of G-d.” Every person must hasten this, and help prepare the world to serve G-d as one. Although one might think his interaction with non-Jews is mainly for economic purposes, a Jew’s real intention should be to guide and inspire them to fulfill their Seven Noahide Laws. The Seven Noahide Laws are not simply legal matters – they are principles which precede and give meaning to all other laws. Laws only apply to people who are living; once someone is alive, he can be told to follow the law. But true “living” means being connected to Torah, which is “our life,” and observing its Mitzvos, by which “we live”. So, first and foremost, one must see to it that his non-Jewish neighbor is alive!

(Lubavitcher Rebbe, 20 Menachem Av, 5745 • August 7, 1985, Disc 31, Program 123)


Egyptian society was steeped in the pursuit of self-serving carnal pleasure, which is reduced by circumcision. Thus, by having the Egyptians circumcised, Joseph subdued their obsession with carnal indulgence. Pharaoh himself instructed them to go along with Joseph’s condition; thus, even the living symbol of Egyptian corruption was willing to be refined, at least somewhat. We follow Joseph’s example by remaining spiritually uncontaminated by our materialistic environment and even refining it. By strengthening our own commitment to Judaism, we influence our fellow Jews to strengthen theirs. Moreover, we influence the broader community of non-Jews to keep the Torah’s laws that apply to them (the “Noahide” laws). Thus, we will ultimately transform the entire world into G d’s home. (Lubavitcher Rebbe, Likutei Sichot, vol. 10, p. 141.)


(On Nishmas prayer on Shabbos) Although this prayer has the same theme as the blessing of Yishtabach (“May your name be praised”), emphasizing God's attributes and the privilege given to us to praise Him, it is recited only on Shabbat and Holidays simply because there is not sufficient time to recite it during weekdays. It may be described as the great universal hymn of the salvation of mankind. A Jew is not satisfied with his redemption unless everybody will be redeemed with him; the Jew feels the beat of the heart of the universe. The Jew prays even for the cosmos. Once a month, he prays that God restore the diminution of the moon. The Jewish experience is all-inclusive, all-embracing, sympathetic to all.

(Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Days of Deliverance in Mesorat HaRav Siddur, p. 476-7)


He [Abraham] was a resident, like other inhabitants of Canaan, sharing with them a concern for the welfare of society, digging wells, and contributing to the progress of the country in loyalty to its government and institutions. Here, Abraham was clearly a fellow citizen, a patriot among compatriots, joining others in advancing the common welfare. However, there was another aspect, the spiritual, in which Abraham regarded himself as a stranger. His identification and solidarity with his fellow citizens in the secular realm did not imply his readiness to relinquish any aspects of his religious uniqueness. His was a different faith and he was governed by perceptions, truths, and observances which set him apart from the larger faith community. In this regard, Abraham and his descendants would always remain “strangers.”

(Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Reflections of the Rav, p. 169)


We certainly share the concerns of man in general, but at the same time we have interests and concerns of our own. We are part of humanity and at the same time, we are alone.

(Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, “Lonely Man of Faith: Trailer”)


“And you shall say to Pharaoh, 'So said Hashem: Yisrael is my eldest son.'” (Shemos 4,22) What the Almighty God said, בני בכורי, what is the conclusion that is to be drawn from it? If I say, “he's my oldest” or “he's my bechor”, it means that I have more children. He is the oldest, but there are many more children. When God told Moshe, “say to Pharaoh, Yisrael is my son, he is my bechor”, what does it mean? God has more children, He has many sons. Otherwise, the expression 'beni bechori' is inappropriate. If one has a single son he would say 'beni yechidi', like “your son, your only son who you love” (Bereishis 22:2). But now it's 'beni bechor'.

(Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchi, The Rav Thinking Aloud on Shemos, p. 50)


Every nation is a son of HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

(Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchi,k The Rav Thinking Aloud on Shemos, p. 50, See also Rabbeinu Ephraim, p. 176 and Chizkuni on the passuk)



Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Bechor and Ben - two opinions

Here's a case of outright disagreement by two important figures of our generation. I don't know if these two opinions can be reconciled. We have Rav Joseph Soloveitchik on one side and Rav Avigdor Miller on the other. As you shall see, they completely disagree with one another on a subject near and dear to many who follow the Torah Im Derech Eretz path of life.

Rav Joseph Soloveitchik:

What the Almighty God said, בני בכורי, what is the conclusion that is to be drawn from it? If I say, “he's my oldest” or “he's my bechor”, it means that I have more children. He is the oldest, but there are many more children. When God told Moshe, “say to Pharaoh, Yisrael is my son, he is my bechor”, what does it mean? God has more children, He has many sons. Otherwise, the expression 'beni bechori' is inappropriate. If one has a single son he would say 'beni yechidi', like “your son, your only son who you love” (Bereishis 22:2). But now it's 'beni bechor'. 

(Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchi, The Rav Thinking Aloud on Shemos, p. 50)


Every nation is a son of HaKadosh Baruch Hu. (See also Rabbeinu Ephraim, p. 176 and Chizkuni on the passuk)

(Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchi, The Rav Thinking Aloud on Shemos, p. 50)

Rabbi Avigdor Miller:

Question: The Rav said that only the Am Yisroel are the “banim” of Hashem. But doesn’t the posuk of “b’ni bichori Yisroel,” imply that while we are His bechor, but that the other nations are also considered His children?

Rav Miller: Look, he’s asking a good question. Nothing wrong with a little lomdus. If it says, “b’ni bichori Yisroel,” that they are my firstborn, that implies that the rest of the nations are not “bechorim,” but they’re at least “banim.” The answer is – No! Am Yisroel are “banim” and nobody else is “banim.” But not only are they “banim,” but they’re beloved like “b’ni bichori.” That’s what it means.

“Banim atem la’shem Elokeichem.” It doesn’t say, “bechorim atem la’shem Elokeichem.” Banim atem!  Atem! Only you are “banim” to me. Nobody else. Only that, not only are you “banim,” but you are beloved to me like a bechor. Because a bechor is especially beloved. That’s all that it means.

TAPE #E-207

Note, Rav Miller does say elsewhere that if you were to put the entire physical universe on one side of a scale and a Fiji Islander on the other, the Fiji Islander would greatly outweigh the physical universe in importance. He says also, we don't hate the goyim, we just don't mingle with them. We are kindly toward everyone. 



Monday, August 23, 2021

Teach emunah

 Rav Avigdor Miller on Mesivta High Schools


Q:

If studying Hashem's creation and the emunah is such an important subject, why isn't it studied in the high schools, the mesivtas, today?

A:

If studying the halachos of Shabbos and the halachos of brachos is so important, why isn't it studied in the mesivta today?  The answer is the mesivtas today are based on an old system, an European system, and they took it for granted that by the time you entered the mesivta you had learned all the things.  You learned halachos in the cheder. You had learned Tanach and Tanach is emunah. That's how it was in the olden days.  They had learned Tanach, and Tanach is the study of creation. They learned Tehillim.  When I was a boy, we learned Tehillim as a boy. Our rebbi taught us Tehillim; we learned barchi nafshi, the wonders of creation.  You couldn't learn every little thing – a lot has to be left for the individual to do – but certainly if you learned Tanach, you learned a lot.  And you learned a lot of dinim too.  By the time you came into the mesivta you were ready for the big task of the Jewish male to spend his days in the cheker halachah, in the milchamto shel Torah.

But today the boys who are put into mesivta don't know anything; they know nothing about emunah, and therefore certainly they're losing out.  It's very important that the Chovos Halevavos, Sha'ar Habechinah should be taught today. And I would give a suggestion. Instead of the English Departments of the high schools teaching goyishe things – and very many Jewish boys and girls are ruined in the high school department of the yeshivos and this I can tell you from first-hand experience; I happen to know that it's true – if the mesivtas meant business, they could utilize the high schools to teach them emunah. And the boys and girls would come to such a strong faith in Hakodosh Boruch Hu that the high school could even be more powerful in shaping their minds and characters than anything else could be; it's a big opportunity that's going lost.

TAPE # 407 (May 1982)

Saturday, August 21, 2021

all-inclusive

 (On Nishmas prayer on Shabbos) Although this prayer has the same theme as the blessing of Yishtabach (“May your name be praised”), emphasizing God's attributes and the privilege given to us to praise Him, it is recited only on Shabbat and Holidays simply because there is not sufficient time to recite it during weekdays. It may be described as the great universal hymn of the salvation of mankind. A Jew is not satisfied with his redemption unless everybody will be redeemed with him; the Jew feels the beat of the heart of the universe. The Jew prays even for the cosmos. Once a month, he prays that God restore the diminution of the moon. The Jewish experience is all-inclusive, all-embracing, sympathetic to all. (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Days of Deliverance in Mesorat HaRav Siddur, p. 476-7)

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Dr. Isaac Levy

Some years ago I was grateful to locate and be able to post a photo of Gertrude Hirschler, one of the primary translators of Rav Hirsch's writings. Which reader of Hirsch hasn't read her fine translations? 


And now, through the help of Mr. Robert Schleimer, formerly of Munk's synagogue in London, I have been able to locate the photo of the other great Hirsch translator Dr. Isaac Levy, first translator of the complete Hirsch commentary on Chumash. And here it is:




What a debt of gratitude we owe him for his epic translation of Hirsch's epic commentary on Chumash. And here's one of Dr. Levy's translations:

"If we understand these sentences of the תייכ aright, then the sentence which stands at their head: forewarns one not to take the following sentences to mean that one is completely to ignore and remain in ignorance of all knowledge and science which has been gained and nurtured by non-Jewish sources or which have no direct bearing on the knowledge to be gained by the study of the Torah. Inasmuch as what is commanded is: עשם עיקר ואל תעשם טפלה, the permission to occupy oneself also with other spheres of knowledge is assumed. Only, the knowledge of the Torah and the understanding we derive from it is to be our principle concern and to be regarded as having been given to us as the absolute and firmly established Truth. Only as accessory knowledge and in as far as they serve to truly help the study of the Torah and are subordinated as the טפל to the עיקר, are they to be studied. But the Torah and all its teachings must always remain that which we have received from Above and must be the yardstick by which we measure all the results obtained by other spheres of learning. Only that which is in accordance with the Truths of the Torah can remain true for us. All that we accept intellectually as well as all our actions must always be considered from the point of view of the Torah and be within the lines of the doctrines it teaches, so that we only accept and adopt  that which is in accordance with them, and do not adulterate the knowledge we draw our of the Torah with ideas which have developed form other and strange premises."

R' Hirsch, Chumash, Leviticus, 18:5, trans. Isaac Levy, Judaica Press.

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Gertrude Hirschler

"Gertrude Hirschler was a translator and editor of literary works, and was the leading translator of the works of the nineteenth century German rabbi, Samson Raphael Hirsch. The collection primarily consists of materials relating to Hirschler's publishing career, containing her publishing correspondence, as well as manuscripts, articles and miscellaneous writings by other authors that were sent to Hirschler for editing or translating. There is also a small amount of personal materials and original writings by Hirschler."  Papers at YU

Bio

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Love of God

 

"'To love' means to feel one's being only through and in the being of another. 'To love God' therefore, means to feel that one's own existence and activity are rendered possible and obtain value and significance only through God and in God. You exist and are something only through God; and therefore in all that you are and do, you have only to strive to reach God -- that is, to perform His will." R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, 9.

Friday, August 6, 2021

R’ Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz

 

"R’ Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz told his students in America, “I cannot understand how it is possible for an American yeshiva student to be Jewish without ‘The Nineteen Letters’” "(Klugman, 1998)


from Return to Basics: A Call to Revitalize R’ Hirsch’s Torah im Derech Eretz

Read more

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Whenever a person does a chessed

 

R' Solomon Breuer, zt'l, 1850-1926

R' Solomon Breuer, zt'l, 1850-1926
"In Parshas Vayera, Rav Shlomo Breuer, zt"l has a beautiful thought on this concept of "taking for Me Teruma." Whenever we 'give,' whether we do chessed with our bodies or we do chessed with our money, every giving is actually a 'taking.' Whenever a person does a chessed, he is really doing more for himself than for the person to whom he is giving." R' Yissaschar Frand, Parshas Vayera

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Life, living, aspirations, achievement, and creativity


"Pagans, both ancient and modern, have a predilection for associating religion and religious matters with death and thoughts of death. For them the kingdom of God begins only where man ends. They view death and dying as the true manifestations of their deity, whom they see as a god of death, not of life; a god that kills and never revives, that sends death and its forerunners, sickness and affliction, so that men’s realizing the might of their god and their own impotence, may fear him. For this reason they set up their shrines near graves and the place of their priests is prominently near the dead. Death and mourning are the most fertile soil for the dissemination of their religion, and it seems that in their view, the presence, on their own flesh, of a mark of death, a symbol of death's power to conquer all of life, would be a sign of religiosity par excellence and, above all, the most essential attribute of the priest and his office.


"Not so the priests in Judaism, because the Jewish concept of God and the Jewish religion are not so. The God Whose Name assigns the priest his place among the Jewish people is a God of life, His most exalted manifestation is not the power of death that crushes strength and vitality but the power of life that enables man to exercise free will and to be immortal. Judaism teaches us not how to die but how to live so that, even in life, we may overcome death, lack of freedom, the enslavement to physical things and moral weakness. Judaism teaches us how to spend every moment of a life marked by moral freedom, thought, aspirations, creativity and achievement, along with the enjoyment of physical pleasures, as one more moment in life's constant service to the everlasting God. This is the teaching to which God has dedicated His Sanctuary and for whose service He has consecrated the ihbvf, the guardians of the basis and "direction" (Hebrew: ivf [priest] = iuf [direction] of the people's life.



"When death summons the other members of his people to perform the final acts of loving-kindness for the physical shell of a apb [soul] that has been called home to God, the ‘v hbvf ["priests of God"] must stay away in order to keep aloft the banner of life beside the dead body, to make certain that the concept of life; i.e., the thought that man has been endowed with moral freedom, that he is godly and not subject to the physical forces that seek to crush moral freedom, is not overshadowed by thoughts of death. Only when the realities of life require even the priest to perform his final duty as a husband, son, father or brother for the shell of a departed apb, or the presence of an abandoned body makes it necessary for him to take the place of the father or brother of the deceased, does his priestly function yield to his calling as a human being and as a member of a family. In such cases he is not only permitted but in fact commanded to have the necessary contact with the dead body. Under all other circumstances, however, priests must stay away from the bodies of the dead."


R' Hirsch on Genesis Emor 21:5

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Torah Im Derech Eretz for Kiruv



We have all heard of Torah Im Derech Eretz (TIDE) but may have not all considered what an excellent tool for kiruv it can be. R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch crafted TIDE for a generation much like ours. As R’ Shimon Schwab wrote:


The approach of R. Samson Raphael Hirsch enables us to educate and produce God-fearing and Torah loyal young men, and righteous and valiant young women. Indeed, this is the “Frankfurt” approach, also known as the “Torah and Derekh Eretz approach.” It is a tried and tested method. It is especially appropriate in this country, at this time, which has much in common with the Haskalah period in Germany during the previous century. (“A Letter Regarding the ‘Frankfurt Approach’”)
R’ Schwab explained that it is irrelevant whether TIDE was an emergency measure or not (according to R’ Hirsch and R’ Joseph Breuer it was meant for all time) as we are still in that emergency. When it comes to kiruv we are arguably in a much more intense state of emergency as 19th century assimilated German Jews were incomparably more traditional in values and lifestyle than assimilated Jews today.

So what is TIDE and how can it help? In the words of R’ Hirsch:
The term Derekh Eretz includes all the situations arising from and dependent upon the circumstance that the earth is the place where the individual must live, fulfil his destiny and dwell together with others and that he must utilize resources and conditions provided on earth in order to live and to accomplish his purpose. Accordingly, the term Derekh Eretz is used primarily to refer to ways of earning a living, to the social order that prevails on earth, as well as to the mores and considerations of courtesy and propriety arising from social living and also to things pertinent to good breeding and general education. (Pirkei Avos, Chapter Two, Mishnah Two, Hirsch Siddur)
In this one paragraph R’ Hirsch addresses many of the major frustrations assimilated Jews experience with Torah life as it is typically presented to them. Let us briefly address them:

Parnassah - In addition to Torah life being expensive (tuition bills in America for 5 children typically exceed total median income), baalei teshuvah often receive no financial support from family. Besides that, the idea of not earning a living sounds completely alien to people who have been raised to build their entire lives around careers. TIDE addresses this concern by presenting parnassah as an appropriate part of Torah living whereas some of the derachim in our community seem almost hostile to it, a posture which can scare people away from Torah observance.

Social Order and Courtesy - Most Western countries are Germanic societies (English is a Germanic language) where order and courtesy are highly valued. While the musar movement also stresses good middos, TIDE stresses as well a sense of contributing to one’s society in a civilized manner. Many in the frum world advocate a general hostility not just to popular culture but anything whatsoever connected to gentiles. This attitude, which is arguably a byproduct of persecution experienced in Eastern Europe, can be a turnoff to Jews who feel they were well treated by their gentile communities in America, Europe, and South America or to Jews - and there are many - with a gentile parent. R’ Hirsch wrote numerous beautiful passages that offer a non-antagonistic outlook on the role of gentiles in the scheme of human history while still maintaining a Jewish identity and strict loyalty to commandments.

General education - College for most assimilated Jews is central to their life plan. They work for it from grade school and stay connected to their colleges throughout their lives. A total discounting of the value of all secular studies is just too much to take. TIDE allows for careful acceptance of the best of secular thought while keeping Torah central.

In addition to these topics, R’ Hirsch also offered a beautiful philosophy of commandments and presented many engaging benefits of commandments. His thousands of pages of writings are a library of kiruv material.

At the Torah Im Derech Eretz Society (www.tidesociety.org) we can help you to find materials to aide your kiruv efforts. R’ Hirsch’s writings have haskamas from the greatest of our gadolim including R’ Yitzchak Elchanon Spektor and R’ Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. R’ Yisroel Salanter was an ardent admirer of R’ Hirsch and believed that his writings would be of enormous use to stem assimilation and attract Jews to Torah.

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

True Individuality

 

True Individuality

[Moses told the Jewish people that in contrast to the rebels among them, who had died out,] “all of you who are alive today are [lovingly] attached to God.” Devarim 4:4

One might think that the more we are devoted to G-d, the more our personal individuality disappears. The Torah teaches us here that the opposite is true: Our true individuality depends directly upon the depth of our attachment to G-d. What we normally mistake for our personality is really our secondary, animalistic side. Since we share the same animal drives with the rest of humanity, the personality born of these drives is, at best, a variation on the common theme by which everyone lives. Thus, the apparent individuality of this aspect of our personality is in fact an illusion.

In contrast, since G-d is infinite, the avenues through which His Divinity can manifest itself through us are also infinite; thus, it is only our Divine personality that makes us truly unique. It follows that the more we allow the animalistic side of our personalities to dissolve as we draw closer to D-d, the more we allow our unique, Divine personalities to shine forth.is DH

 

Lubavitcher Rebbe, Daily Wisdom, p. 365

Monday, July 26, 2021

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Rabbi of Frankfurt (1808-1889)

 https://www.truetorahjews.org/ravhirsch

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch devotes a long section of his book Horeb (pp. 460-461) to the obligation of Jews to seek the welfare of their government (Yirmiyahu 29:7). If this applied under the Babylonians, who exiled the Jews by force, all the more so in our current countries of residence, in which we settled by choice. If this applied in Babylonia, where Jews were sent for a pre-specified period of 70 years, all the more so today, when the length of our exile has not been revealed to us. For hundreds of years, Jews have honored and loved the rulers of the countries in which they took refuge, and followed all their laws faithfully.

Israel’s nationhood does not depend on a common land, writes Rav Hirsch. Even when the Jewish people lived on its own land, it was not the land that united them. The land and the external trappings of statehood were only a means to better fulfill the obligations of the Jews. The Torah was not given for Eretz Yisroel; Eretz Yisroel was given for the Torah!

continue

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Qualifications

"Learn from no teacher, be he ever so wise, whose way of life is open to reproach. The source of true wisdom is not to be found in him."

R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, 494

Monday, July 19, 2021

only after



This is the plea for the גאולה of the entire Jewish community, for whom there can be no חרות while it is in galuth. Its redemption will begin only once all of its members will be gathered together out of this dispersion in order to be reunited. But such a reunion cannot be brought out by human action or even only through the intermediary of human effort; we must wait for God Himself to sound the Shofar. Even as the individual can hope for גאולה 

(ראה בענינו )

only after he has first passed through the states of daa'th, teshuvah and selichah, so our people can expect collective geulah only after all of us have re-acquired for ourselves the only true perspective of things, and after we all will have returned to His law and to His faithful service so as to be deserving of forgiveness and pardon. Any allegation that deliverance can be obtained by other means than those is nothing but dangerous folly.


R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Commentary on Siddur, p. 138 on the bracha “Sound the great Shofar for our freedom”


Sunday, July 18, 2021

Avoiding Strife

The Alter Rebbe of Chabad paskens that one should not quarrel over performing a mitzvah. As we find about the lechem hapanim, that the refined kohanim would step aside to avoid quarreling with the aggressive ones who grabbed the bread, even though it was a mitzvah midoraisa.


One young chossid would daven before the amud in a shul where the minhag was to wear a
talis for Mincha and Maariv. Knowing that the minhag Chabad is to not wear a talis then, he
was unsure of what to do, and presented his question to the Rebbe. The Rebbe replied that despite the vital importance of our minhag, he should certainly avoid machloikes, and if they are insistent on their minhag, he should comply with them.

A talented chazan arrived in the town of Kemfna and the townsmen wanted to appoint
him as their baal tefilah. Knowing this man to be lax in the observance of mitzvos, the
local Rov did not agree to give him this holy position. The townsmen did not relent and
they insisted that this man be appointed. Foreseeing the imminent machloikes, the Rov
sent the question before Reb Yosef 'Hatzadik', the son-in-law of the Noda BiYehuda and the
Rov in Posen, asking what he should do. Reb Yosef's answer was quick in coming:
"It is better to erect a 'tzeilem in the heichal' and avoid machloikes amongst Yidden! State your
opinion pleasantly, and if they don't listen do not fight them."

Lma'an Yishme'u Shabbos Table Companion

Saturday, July 17, 2021

KAJ Today

From the KAJ website:

"KAJ also bases its approach and structure on Rav Hirsch's philosophy of "Torah im Derech Eretz", which encourages involvement in the modern world under the dominion of Torah without any compromise of loyalty to Torah and its precepts."

We hear all kinds of doubting that KAJ is TIDE anymore. We hear of WWIII as Aaron Rakeffet describes the altercation of a few years ago at the bicentennial. Nevertheless, the website makes a declaration of TIDE.

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

He summons you in love

"As His creating word calls forth the sun, and summons the light of the world, so has God's love appointed Israel as the bearer of the light of spirit and life, and as the bearer of Torah. O that you would be mindful of such a high task! O that you would allow heart and spirit to be infused by the spirit of the Torah and allow your life, in word and deed, to be but a copy of the contents of this Torah! You would thus surrender yourself to God in love just as He summons you in love." Horeb 628 R' Samson Raphael Hirsch

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

You should have only one concern

“At that time, when you were to go forth to take possession of a land inhabited by mighty men experienced in warfare, I did not drill you in the use of weapons. I did not make you study plans of war and military strategy. I did not make you replenish your arms and other materials of war. I did not appoint captains or generals for you. Even at the moment when you are about to subdue nations and conquer lands, you should have only one concern; how to realize the Law of God in your own midst as faithfully and punctiliously as possible. The observance of God’s moral law is sufficient to conquer the world. Let Israel only attain the standard set by the ideal of its Divinely-ordained purpose and leave it to God to defend its position before the world.”

 

Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch, Devarim 1: 18.

Monday, July 12, 2021

It was not the land

 It was not the land that Moses had been commanded to proclaim to his people at the outset of his mission as מורשה, as the inheritance they were to preserve (Ex. 6,8). The Law, to be translated into full reality upon that soil, was to be the true מורשה, the one true, everlasting inheritance, the one true center around which the nation and its leaders were to gather as one united community. Herein lay the goal and the destiny, the character and the significance of the people.


Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch "The Kehillah," Collected Writings, Vol. VI, p. 62

Saturday, July 10, 2021

Kever of Rav and Mrs. Hirsch

from Find a Grave:


Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
BIRTH 20 Jun 1808
Hamburg-Mitte, Hamburg-Mitte, Hamburg, Germany
DEATH 31 Dec 1888 (aged 80)
Frankfurt am Main, Stadtkreis Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany
BURIAL
Alter Jüdischer Friedhof
Frankfurt am Main, Stadtkreis Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany
PLOT Section E


Friday, July 9, 2021

Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor and Rabbi Chayim Ozer Grodzensky on R' Hirsch

"The Nineteen Letters [is] a precious and marvelous work on the Jewish faith ... With this distinguished work he achieved great things; he reestablished the glory of our faith in the kehillos in Germany and taught understanding to the confused ... All his words are drawn from holy sources and sevenfold purified in the crucible of true insight and straight thinking ... .I am very pleased that this work has now been translated into our holy tongue .... and I pray to God that.. .just as this work had a great impact upon our brethren in Germany, so may its effect and splendor multiply among the Jews in our country ....I hope that many of our brethren will bring this precious book into their homes for a blessing, for the strengthening of the faith, for our sacred Torah, and the knowledge of Judaism in its holy purity." 

[Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, 1896]

"Under the conditions of our time, where many stray from the way of Torah and faith, with some of them unwittingly, from lack of knowledge, drawn after wrong ideas and meaningless beliefs, these erring people should hear the words of the gaon and thinker [Rabbi S. R. Hirsch] who knew the sicknesses of the people of his time and devoted himself to curing them; he knew how to draw pure water, healing waters, to give to the sick of soul. It is therefore very important to spread these precious works in our country too .... "

[Rabbi Chayim Ozer Grodzensky, 1913]

from The Nineteen Letters, Feldheim, 1995

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Two good quotes

 “The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.”

― Nikola Tesla

“Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed, by the masses.”

― Plato


Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Pleads the cause of the salvation of all mankind

"It is evident from the concluding verse of this Psalm that Asaph does not think here only of the Jewish people, but also pleads the cause of the salvation of all mankind on earth, all of whose existence and welfare is dependent, first of all, upon the proper enforcement of justice and right."

Hirsch Siddur, p. 214, Psalm for Tuesday

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Rav Avigdor Miller on Hirschian community

"There was a small voice in Germany, Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch and he had a little group of people, excellent group..." 

Rav Avigdor Miller #347 40:30

Sunday, June 27, 2021

modesty

 

מ

[Balaam said] How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!

(Bamidbar 24:5)

 

The lesson for us here is that we must never think that it is important to be concerned only about the “larger” issues of modesty and intimacy, but that we can be lax about the “smaller,” “innocent” details. Even the smaller details are important – important enough to be able to transform a curse into a blessing (or an accursed situation into a blessed one).

Lest we think that this alertness to the details of modesty is only required in our day-to-day behavior but not in temporary situations (such as when we are on vacation), we see here that the tremendous power of even the minor details of modest conduct was demonstrated when our forefathers lived in tents, their temporary homes in the desert.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Likutei Sichos, vol. 13, p. 84.