tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82336246083247166792024-03-03T17:14:40.672+02:00The Torah Im Derech Eretz SocietyA community of practitioners of Torah Im Derech Eretz
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1208125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-87499053985162595562024-01-31T23:37:00.005+02:002024-01-31T23:37:30.945+02:00Dr. Eliott Resnick Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on the parsha<p> The Ten Commandments appear on two tablets. The first tablet begins with a mitzvah of the mind (acknowledgement of G-d’s existence) and ends with a mitzvah of action (honoring one’s parents). The second tablet begins with a mitzvah of action (don’t kill) and end with a mitzvah of the mind (don’t covet). Why?</p><p><a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/384489">Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on the parsha: Cardiac Jews, Orthopraxic Jews | Israel National News - Arutz Sheva</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-52956868956173231722024-01-31T10:33:00.002+02:002024-01-31T10:33:17.667+02:00you don't start with pilpulim<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> “In education, you always go min hakal l’hacaveid. You have to learn the easy things, then you go to the more difficult things. You can’t jump into Gemara without knowing Chumash. You got to be marbeh sidra every week. It’s a must. You should be marbeh sidra a couple of years in a row with Rashi until you know all the Rashis. Rashi on Chumash introduces us all to the world of Torah shel baal peh. Unbelievable. Rashi did a fantastic job. He introduced us to the whole world of Torah shel baal peh. And then you have to learn the rest of Tanach. Believe it or not, studying nevi’im and kesuivm is also part of Talmud Torah…. (38:17) Learning always has to be min hakal l’hacaveid. You can’t jump into the most complicated topic without being prepared. Rabbi Soloveitchik, who was one of the biggest maggidei shiur of many centuries, his style would always be like this: He used to say, every page of the Gemara has a machloches. Whenever there’s a machloches, you’ll see from the Gemara that there are a hundred points that they agreed upon. They disagree on one point. So let’s first discuss the hundred things that they agree upon and after we have a picture of what they agree upon then we’ll be able to understand [on] what they disagree. It always worked. He’d always give a background. He’d say, what does the posuk in Chumash [say]? How does the peshuto shel mikra go? What’s the additional level of interpretation that the Torah shel baal peh has? When does it apply, when doesn’t it apply. What does Rav Meir say. What does Rav Yehuda say. And then there’s one little point, one little point where they have a machloches. If you know what the background is, then you’ll understand better what the machloches is. You can’t philosophize. You can’t take a machloches in the Gemara and give a whole philosophy. You have to know what’s the background. You have to know the whole mesichta. In some yeshivas, they spend the whole year learning the first five blatt of the mesichta and they think that they know the whole mesichta. You have to know what it says on daf yod, and daf chof, and daf lamed, you have to know the whole mesichta. You can’t make a chakira before you know all the rest of the Gemara. You have to know what are the given facts. After you know what the given facts are then you have to develop a derech. A derech means you have a jungle with a thousand and one dinim. You have to figure out the derech which dinim are connected and which dinim are not connected." </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Rav Hershel Schachter- Lev HaTorah 5784 - YouTube 33:10</span></p><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-23127360073012904122024-01-21T21:20:00.001+02:002024-01-21T21:20:38.942+02:00 Home - Ein Od Milvado<p> <a href="https://einodmilvado.online/">Home - Ein Od Milvado</a></p><div class="elementor-element elementor-element-16532b0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading" data-element_type="widget" data-id="16532b0" data-widget_type="heading.default" style="--align-content: initial; --align-items: initial; --align-self: initial; --flex-basis: initial; --flex-direction: initial; --flex-grow: initial; --flex-shrink: initial; --flex-wrap: initial; --gap: initial; --justify-content: initial; --order: initial; --swiper-navigation-size: 44px; --swiper-pagination-bullet-horizontal-gap: 6px; --swiper-pagination-bullet-size: 6px; --swiper-theme-color: #000; --widgets-spacing: 20px 20px; align-content: var(--align-content); align-items: var(--align-items); align-self: var(--align-self); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); flex-basis: var(--flex-basis); flex-direction: var(--flex-direction); flex-grow: var(--flex-grow); flex-shrink: var(--flex-shrink); flex-wrap: var(--flex-wrap); font-family: Poppins, Poppins, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; gap: var(--gap); justify-content: var(--justify-content); margin-block-end: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; order: var(--order); outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="elementor-widget-container" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 72.7988px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: background .3s,border .3s,border-radius .3s,box-shadow .3s,transform var(--e-transform-transition-duration,.4s); vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Lora, Poppins, sans-serif; font-size: 56px; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Path to Serenity</h3></div></div><div class="elementor-element elementor-element-54cc8c2 seranity-text elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor" data-element_type="widget" data-id="54cc8c2" data-widget_type="text-editor.default" style="--align-content: initial; --align-items: initial; --align-self: initial; --flex-basis: initial; --flex-direction: initial; --flex-grow: initial; --flex-shrink: initial; --flex-wrap: initial; --gap: initial; --justify-content: initial; --order: initial; --swiper-navigation-size: 44px; --swiper-pagination-bullet-horizontal-gap: 6px; --swiper-pagination-bullet-size: 6px; --swiper-theme-color: #000; --widgets-spacing: 20px 20px; align-content: var(--align-content); align-items: var(--align-items); align-self: var(--align-self); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); flex-basis: var(--flex-basis); flex-direction: var(--flex-direction); flex-grow: var(--flex-grow); flex-shrink: var(--flex-shrink); flex-wrap: var(--flex-wrap); font-family: Poppins, Poppins, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; gap: var(--gap); justify-content: var(--justify-content); margin-block-end: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; order: var(--order); outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="elementor-widget-container" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 53.9918px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: background .3s,border .3s,border-radius .3s,box-shadow .3s,transform var(--e-transform-transition-duration,.4s); vertical-align: baseline;">Serenity and tranquility can be attained. The knowledge that Hashem is intimately involved in our lives and<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />is watching over us with Divine Providence gives us constant peace of mind.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-56164359990647563362024-01-09T20:57:00.000+02:002024-01-09T20:57:00.156+02:00The Sound of Ancient Languages. You Haven't Seen Anything Like This Before!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wc22W3bos64" width="320" youtube-src-id="Wc22W3bos64"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-1178545300538598642024-01-02T20:55:00.003+02:002024-01-02T20:55:57.408+02:00Victorian women | Life in Victorian times | 108 year old woman | Money Go Round | 1977<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e4FZkXvAY94" width="320" youtube-src-id="e4FZkXvAY94"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-58984918171759339302024-01-02T20:54:00.002+02:002024-01-02T20:54:16.420+02:00Man Born in 1853 Talks About Childhood in the 1860s- Enhanced Video & Audio [60 fps]<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_oqbLSisnME" width="320" youtube-src-id="_oqbLSisnME"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-73545079871721155252024-01-01T14:03:00.004+02:002024-01-01T14:03:35.634+02:00Chief Rabbi Joseph Herman Hertz and TIDE<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> "Escape came eventually in 1911 when Hertz was called to the Rabbinate of Congregation Orach Chayim on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Orach Chayim was a congregation of German Jews who advocated Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch’s ideology of Torah im derekh erets. They combined secular education and interests with strict observance, like Hirsch’s own congregation in Frankfurt. Hertz was delighted to serve a community that lived out his own ideals. In his inaugural sermon he lauded their piety and told them they were “men and women with convictions and not merely opinions…brooking no disharmony between your religious profession and your religious practice.”[5] He celebrated their wider culture, based on the realization that “the spiritual quarantine forced upon us throughout the Middle Ages can no longer be maintained.”[6] He also hit upon a powerful metaphor. He recalled the tempting call of the Sirens in Homer’s Odyssey (hinting toward his broad education). In the story, Odysseus has himself lashed to the mast so he can hear the song without being led astray, while his sailors stop up their ears with cheese. Hertz regarded both of these solutions as insufficient in twentieth-century America, when the Sirens were other faiths and ideologies. He argued that the song could not be blocked out, nor could anyone be tied down. Instead, there had to be an alternative, stronger call: “We must fill the hearts of our children with the melody of the Shema and all it connotes…and then we need dread no sirens.” [7]"</span></p><p><br /></p><p>full article</p><p><a href="https://www.jewishideas.org/article/bridge-across-tigris-chief-rabbi-joseph-herman-hertz">https://www.jewishideas.org/article/bridge-across-tigris-chief-rabbi-joseph-herman-hertz</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-44948566070104832382023-12-29T15:41:00.003+02:002023-12-29T15:41:29.153+02:00Avos (6:5)<p> I frequently explain the apparent contradiction found in Avos (6:5) concerning those factors involved in acquiring Torah, i.e. analysis of the students and faith in our sages. Furthermore, what does faith in our sages have to do with acquiring Torah? However, the explanation is that if one doesn't have faith in the truth of the words of the sages then one readily dismisses them for the slightest reason. With an attitude of condescension, one proclaims that they didn't know what they were talking about. Consequently, one makes no effort to investigate and to try to validate what they said. However, in the end we find that we are the ones who have erred. Therefore, it is characteristic of the truly wise to presume that the sages have not erred, G-d forbid. However, we -- with our limited perspective and limited understanding-- have. On the other hand, to blindly believe and not struggle to comprehend with our intellect the apparent difficulties -- saying that they knew and we need to mindlessly rely on them -- that is also not correct. We need to wrestle mightily with the apparent contradictions and doubts as if they are people like us. With this approach, we will come to a much profounder and sharper comprehension. Thus, we see both factors -- emunas chocahmim and pilpul -- working together to the end bring about the acquisition of Torah. </p><p>Seridei Aish 1: 113 in Daas Torah, p. 195 </p><p><br /></p><p>The Seridei Aish was a big supporter of Torah Im Derech Eretz and an admirer of Rav Hirsch.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-62828335923129873452023-12-22T14:00:00.003+02:002023-12-22T14:00:33.357+02:00עלון מדבר גאוני אשכנז Divrei Torah from Geoney Ashkenaz<p><a href="https://drive.proton.me/urls/BSPM93BVRR#NUgKKpPBMpl6">עלון מדבר גאוני אשכנז Divrei Torah from Geoney Ashkenaz</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-83668447307937166952023-12-03T10:54:00.003+02:002023-12-03T10:54:48.987+02:00 let us consider how we shall read it<p><br /></p><p>"Therefore, to the Torah! But, before we open it, let us consider how we shall read it. Not for the purpose of making philological or antiquarian investigations, nor to find support and corroboration for antediluvian or geological hypotheses, nor either in the expectation of unveiling supramundane mysteries, but we must read it as Jews - that is to say, looking upon it as a book given to us by God that we may learn from it to know ourselves - what we are, and what we should be in this earthly existence."</p><p><br /></p><p>R' Samson Raphael Hirsch 19 Letters.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-44020916464337725382023-11-25T18:21:00.003+02:002023-11-25T18:21:36.043+02:00Judaism from within - Simi Lerner Mitzvah #52<p> <a class="text-decoration-none text-truncate" href="http://www.ravhirsch.org/e/mitzvah-52-abuse-the-physical-intellectual-emotional/" style="-webkit-line-clamp: 1 !important; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: Avenir; font-size: 1.5rem; overflow: hidden; text-decoration-line: none !important; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap;">Mitzvah #52 Abuse - The Physical, Intellectual & Emotional</a></p><p class="e-date text-gray" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(131, 131, 131) !important; flex-grow: 0; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: Avenir; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 0px;">Thursday Nov 09, 2023</p><div class="episode-description" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; flex-grow: 1; flex-shrink: 1;"><p class="e-description text-two-line card-text" style="-webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2 !important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; display: -webkit-box; font-family: var(--secondaryFont); font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;">Mitzvah #52 Abuse - The Physical, Intellectual & Emotional</p><p class="e-description text-two-line card-text" style="-webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2 !important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; display: -webkit-box; font-family: var(--secondaryFont); font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><br /></p><p class="e-description text-two-line card-text" style="-webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2 !important; box-sizing: border-box; display: -webkit-box; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Avenir;">https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-h5ep9-14f3d70</span></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-62278986261430947772023-11-24T23:25:00.001+02:002023-11-25T21:57:21.885+02:00Gertrude HirschlerFor 30 years I have been talking to the Creator of the universe via a translation of the Siddur and commentary on the Siddur by Rav Hirsch as translated to English by Gertrude Hirschler.<br />
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For 30 years I have been studying the Chumash largely through the translation and commentary of Rav Hirsch as translated to English by Gertrude Hirschler.</div>
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For 30 years I have absorbed the hashkafa of Rav Hirsch as expressed in his articles in the Collected Writings many of which were translated by Gertrude Hirschler. </div>
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For many years, not quite 30, I have been studying Psalms via the commentary of Rav Hirsch via a translation by Gertrude Hirschler.</div>
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So that's a pretty important person in my life this Ms. Hirschler. And yet all these years I did not know what she looked like. Search her name on the web. You won't find a picture.</div>
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That is until now. For thanks a relative of hers I now have a photo of the incredible Gertrude Hirschler and will share it with you.</div>
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But first a few details on her life as collected from <a href="https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/hirschler-gertrude" target="_blank">Gertrude Hirschler</a> by Susan J. Lief Rotenberg, Jewish Women's Archive:</div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Gertrude Hirschler was born on August 11, 1929 in Vienna, Austria to Bernard Hirschler and Alice Dukes. She was the elder of daughters.</span></blockquote>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Her father was a successful businessman and the family lived comfortably until forced to flee the Nazis in 1939. They landed in Baltimore, Maryland.</span></blockquote>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Hirschler attended Baltimore Hebrew College, the Teachers Training School, and Johns Hopkins University night school from which she graduated with with a B.S. in 1952.</span></blockquote>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">In addition to her translations of Hirsch, Hirschler translated numerous other works such as Rabbi Alexander Z. Friedman’s Wellsprings of Torah. She also penned numerous articles for encyclopedias and edited Ashkenaz: The German Jewish Heritage. </span></blockquote>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Hirschler, who was Torah observant, passed away in 1994 and is buried in Baltimore.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36UByo5wapyjmZqDclM8AMJgiwAoHVmoSt-uVnbSoD9zxswh-YBU64y9YbVHt7O17mq-MAmXaLj3M7Ylpif8v-spFyXyuGARBuvljHY7Vw6ldwwyYnd2uK9itKl5iyIswjHggca4ke70d/s1600/Hrischler2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36UByo5wapyjmZqDclM8AMJgiwAoHVmoSt-uVnbSoD9zxswh-YBU64y9YbVHt7O17mq-MAmXaLj3M7Ylpif8v-spFyXyuGARBuvljHY7Vw6ldwwyYnd2uK9itKl5iyIswjHggca4ke70d/s320/Hrischler2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Photo copyright 2017 Stengler</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-88324642472145571202023-11-22T12:14:00.002+02:002024-01-01T14:04:28.658+02:00all human beings<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> "The Mishnah says openly that all human beings have b'tzelm Elokim. The truth is if you take an Australian bushman, a wild fellow, Aborigine, and if you train him he can become a mentch. He can become a great man. He can become a big tzadick. As long as he's a human being, there's no limit to the greatness that he possesses within him. Hashem breathed into him a neshama and he's capable of becoming one of the greatest man who ever lived. Of course he doesn't know it and that's why he doesn't do it." </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Rabbi Avigdor Miller, #947, Skill of Silence.1:27:40</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-65741952945536090712023-11-21T06:58:00.003+02:002023-11-23T07:28:39.583+02:00 George Bernard Shaw<p> <span face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif" style="color: #282829; font-size: 15px;">George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright and a renowned satirist.</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none; font-weight: bold;">Here are some quotes from him</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">1.Marriage is an alliance entered into by a man who can't sleep with the window shut, and a woman who can't sleep with the window open."</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">2."You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'"</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">3."A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">4."There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it."</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">6. "Capitalism is the exploitation of man by man. And socialism, it's the opposite."</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">7. "Marriage is an alliance between two people, one who never knows why, and the other who never knows how."</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">8. "Marriage is an institution that allows two people to endure together the troubles they wouldn't have had if they had remained single."</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">9. "Never trust a government that is afraid of its citizens."</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">10. "Common sense is the most widely shared thing in the world: everyone thinks they are well supplied with it."</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">11. "Capitalism has its drawbacks, but socialism has many more."</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">12. "Democracy is a system where the people are free to choose who will govern them as long as it's always the same ones."</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;">13. "The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence."</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;"><br /></span></p><div class="q-inlineFlex qu-alignItems--center" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex;"><div class="q-box qu-display--inline" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; z-index: 0;"><div class="q-box qu-display--inline" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline;"><div class="q-relative qu-display--inline puppeteer_popper_reference" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; position: relative;"><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="dialog" class="q-click-wrapper qu-display--inline qu-tapHighlight--white qu-cursor--pointer ClickWrapper___StyledClickWrapperBox-zoqi4f-0 iyYUZT" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font: inherit; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit;" tabindex="0"><a class="q-box Link___StyledBox-t2xg9c-0 dFkjrQ puppeteer_test_link qu-color--gray_dark qu-cursor--pointer qu-hover--textDecoration--underline" href="https://www.quora.com/profile/Rachid-Najib" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); background-color: transparent; border-radius: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><div class="q-inlineFlex qu-alignItems--center qu-wordBreak--break-word" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; word-break: break-word;"><span><span>Rachid Najib</span></span></div></a></div></div></div></div></div><p class="q-text qu-display--block qu-wordBreak--break-word qu-textAlign--start" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #282829; direction: ltr; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background: none;"><span class="q-box" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="q-text qu-dynamicFontSize--small qu-bold qu-color--gray_dark qu-passColorToLinks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: calc(13px * var(--dynamic-font-scale, 1)) !important; font-weight: bold;"></span></span><span class="q-text qu-dynamicFontSize--small qu-color--gray" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #636466; font-size: calc(13px * var(--dynamic-font-scale, 1)) !important;"> </span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-65245805245590764792023-11-20T05:58:00.012+02:002023-11-28T12:26:27.252+02:00How I spent my Sunday<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I attended a funeral yesterday.
The deceased was a 21-year-old soldier who was killed in Gaza. He lived 100
meters from the synagogue where I pray every morning. He prayed there sometimes.
I didn’t know him well, but a friend of mine was at his bar mitzvah eight years
ago. The family is from England. My friend noted how polite the boy was. “Very
English,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A group of around 500 friends
and neighbors gathered down the street from the family home to send them off.
The mother approached on foot. She was so distraught she had to be held up by
two escorts. The father was the same. They were shaking with grief.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We took 6 buses to the
funeral at the military cemetery. Usually at cemeteries you see the graves of
old people. 80 years old. 95 years old. Sometimes you see that of a young
person. These graves had photos on the tombstones – all youth.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It gets to you. But when the
pallbearers bring out the coffin, then it really gets to you. The photos of the
soldiers that are getting killed every week and the photos of the victims of
the Gaza pogrom as I call it and the photos of the Gazan children, it’s
heartbreaking. But they are photos of the people when they were alive, usually smiling
for the photographer. But when you see a coffin, you don’t picture a living
person, you picture a motionless corpse inside the box. Then you start to
understand what war really is. I have been running into bomb shelters for a
month. My body has shaken from explosions overhead. One time I was outside with
my son and we couldn’t get to a shelter so we leaned next to the wall of a
health clinic. With us was a young couple with an infant child. The Iron dome
projectile hit the terrorists’ missile right above our heads. It certainly felt
that way. I know of numerous soldiers who are now in Gaza. I know of people who
were killed in the pogrom. But this was my first glimpse of a coffin. This is
for real.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The ceremony went on for two
hours in the pouring freezing rain. Nobody moved. The feeling of camaraderie
was extraordinary. I can’t say I ever felt anything like it before. I saw that
in New York after 9/11. But this was on another level.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The speeches were heart
wrenching. The father talked about what a fine boy he had – an idealistic boy
who never asked for much, who was embarrassed by attention, who was helpful and
funny. The mother spoke as did his younger siblings. One promised to teach her
even younger siblings about their big brother. Rabbis spoke. At several points
the rain came down in buckets. It may seem cliché to say, but it did feel as if
heaven was crying. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The war isn’t over. There no
doubt will be more like this. We are still learning more about the atrocities
of October 7. And we have video. When you were a kid in school
learning about Atilla the Hun you imagined things. Here, you can watch it. No
imagination required. The arrogance and violence of the terrorists is something
to behold. And there are 240 hostages being held by the fiends who would do
such things. Among the hostages are infants and other children, several whose abduction
we have on video, including that of a terrified little boy. The young man whose funeral I attended – he went into Gaza to try to rescue those people. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Today I’ll do a shiva call to the family. I’ll appreciate that I am
alive and try to figure out a few ways to be a better person. And I’ll try not
to be bitter about the human race. All my friends from America that have called
me over the month to express their support, and the feeling of unity around
here, that surely has helped remind me that people aren’t all bad. The bad ones
are bad. So I send my support back to the good ones. They need encouragement too. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">They need encouragement too.</span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-44054506060444228272023-11-16T09:19:00.002+02:002023-11-16T09:19:17.156+02:00Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on the parsha: Improper parenting (israelnationalnews.com) e resnick<p> How could Esav – a child of Yitzchak and a grandchild of Avraham – have turned out so badly?</p><p><br /></p><p>Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch suggests (based on earlier sources) that the fault partially lies with Yitzchak and Rivkah in that they ignored “the great law of education chanoch la’naar al pi darko, ‘bring up each child in accordance with its own way’ – that each child must be treated differently with an eye to the slumbering tendencies of his nature.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rav Hirsch argues that Esav and Yaakov possessed very different natures and thus should have been raised differently. “To try to bring up a Yaakov and an Esav at the same school desk, make them have the same habits and hobbies, want to teach and educate them in the same way for some studious, sedate, meditative life is the surest way to court disaster,” he writes.</p><p><br /></p><p>But isn’t there one Jewish archetype to which parents should raise their children? No, writes Rav Hirsch. “The great Jewish task in life is basically simple, one and the same for all, but in its realization is as complicated and varied as human natures and tendencies are varied.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rav Hirsch points out that on his deathbed, Yaakov, speaking to his 12 children, prophesied of a Jewish nation that included – yes – scholars but also merchants, farmers, and soldiers, “and he blessed all of them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>continue</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/380372">Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on the parsha: Improper parenting (israelnationalnews.com)</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-13127061975744289552023-11-11T19:46:00.000+02:002023-11-11T19:46:02.881+02:00Rav Avigdor Miller on High School English Principals<p> </p><h1 style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 26px; line-height: 32.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></h1><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-43bbcc3f-1fe8-84f9-c3ad-ca2b57cfc0a4" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><strong style="line-height: 1.5;">Q: </strong><br style="line-height: 1.5;" /><strong style="line-height: 1.5;">Why do they allow secular library books in the major frum yeshivas? I want to avoid loshon hara so I won’t mention the names of the yeshivas.</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">A:</p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">The trouble is that in the yeshivas, the principal of the high school should be the rosh yeshiva himself. That’s how it should be. The rosh yeshiva with the big white beard, he should be the principal of the high school because that’s where we need him most. </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">In Frankfurt-am-Main, the frum German community had a gymnasium, a high school, and the teachers of the secular subjects were very frum Jews.</p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">A man once told me this - many years ago he was brought up there and he said that the man who taught him algebra taught him mussar and yiras Shamayim in the algebra class. He taught him algebra too. </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">That’s how it used to be. In Frankfurt-am-Main, together with the secular subject, they taught him Torah and mitzvos. </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">You can do that. You can show everything is connected with Torah. It’s very important to utilize that.</p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">But what do they do? They take somebody who once went to the yeshiva who has a college degree. He’s a frum Jew, but he’s shallow and he becomes a principal. He doesn’t really have the spirit of Torah in him. And therefore, is it a surprise that sometimes he lets things get past him? Not such good things pass his inspection.</p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">That’s why I say that the rosh yeshiva should be in the high school office and should supervise everything. And then from the high school will go forth boys that are tzaddikim. </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">You know many boys are failures in Gemara. They’re discouraged in the Gemara and therefore they turn away from the yeshivah. Even though they're in the yeshivah, they lose their idealism. But in the secular department, you can win them back. You can win them back in the secular department. It’s easy because they're at home there. And if the teachers had idealism, then they could talk yiras Shamayim always in the secular department.</p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">TAPE # 724 (January 1989)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-8081655920928971292023-10-22T04:44:00.005+03:002023-10-22T04:44:47.388+03:00Lub. Rebbe on Security in Israel<p> “I protested many years ago! The government eats stinking fish, is lashed and now speaks of regret (when the mics are off and the media are out) for having signed these agreements. Signing away valuable landholdings on the borders – cities standing guard there for a piece of paper?! Since G-d’s word is eternal, their signature means nothing! Why absorb contempt and whippings just so that the Gentile world will smile at you?! When in fact, their demands only grow?!” – The Lubavitcher Rebbe, 13 Tishrei 5741/1980. </p><p>“They are grasping at floating straws! The surrender of even one inch of land (and security, Law and Order) involves danger to life and the prohibition of “not granting them favors”… Who knows how long the person upon whom peace depends will live? This same mistake has been repeating itself since the Six Day War – and even before that in the Suez Canal.” – The Lubavitcher Rebbe , 18 Elul 5738/1978</p><p>“Indeed, I do admit that a large Arab population dwelling in the State can create a problem, but what is the better alternative? Is it better that an area be an independent Palestinian State or a Jordanian State in which there are one and a half million Arabs within firing distance, creating war against every Jewish town and village in the Land? Is it not preferable that those very same millions of Arabs be subject to the laws of the State of Israel, within her borders, even with all the problems to which this gives rise?” – The Lubavitcher Rebbe in an interview with Shmuel Katz, 1978</p><p>“If G-d Forbid, this does lead to war, we will be victorious because we are marching with the power of G-d. It is forbidden to relinquish any part of the Land of Israel; today, every city, town and village is likened to a border, safeguarding and protecting lives. When this (thinking) becomes accepted policy, ‘fear and trepidation’ will fall upon our enemies and war will not be necessary. There were times when Israel stood with all its power and took SWIFT action and war was actually prevented. For when he sees that you rose at dawn with a show of force and are ready to strike first, he will give up – saving not only Jewish lives but even those of the enemy!” – The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Purim 1978</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-21234622198581400032023-10-05T15:06:00.004+03:002023-10-05T15:06:58.909+03:00Recordings from the Minhag Ashkenaz Kenes<p><a href="https://yeshivasfrankfurt.org/kenes-chol-hamoed-sukkos-5784/" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Kenes Chol Hamoed Sukkos 5784 - Yeshivas Frankfurt</a></p><div style="font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"><br style="line-height: 1.5;" /></div><div style="font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"><a href="https://yeshivasfrankfurt.org/he/%d7%9b%d7%a0%d7%a1-%d7%97%d7%95%d7%9c-%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%95%d7%a2%d7%93-%d7%a1%d7%95%d7%9b%d7%95%d7%aa-%d7%aa%d7%a9%d7%a4%d7%93/" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener" style="cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">כנס חול המועד סוכות תשפ"ד - Yeshivas Frankfurt</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-14831833112776096282023-09-28T07:23:00.006+03:002023-09-28T07:23:47.067+03:00Shouldn't force or push anyone into a marriage<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“A union that entails
the closest intimacy can thrive only if it emanates from complete free will.” (</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Commentary
on the Pentateuch</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, Exodus 23:11)</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-82325430803473513962023-09-22T09:15:00.002+03:002023-09-22T09:15:20.564+03:00The Language of the Torah and Torah Observance<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">The Language of the Torah and Torah Observance<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">By Israel Kashkin<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Of
all the religions, Torah observant Judaism is the most connected to a language.
One doesn't need Latin to be Catholic nor Arabic to be Muslim anymore. While
somewhere in those faiths there exist texts in those tongues, scholarship is
not fundamental to the daily practice of the average person. The typical
Christian may read the Bible, but rarely will he analyze it, parse it, or
question it in any significant measure, certainly not for hours a day for years
on end. It’s the same with Muslims and the Koran. Thus, translations will do
just fine. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Not
so <i>Lashon HaKodesh</i>, the holy language, and Judaism. Jewish law requires
us to read the Torah <i>parsha</i> twice a week in <i>Lashon HaKodesh</i>
(henceforth Hebrew) and once a week in an Aramaic translation or with the Hebrew
commentary of Rashi. This can take hours for non-Hebrew speakers. The challenge
is similar with the study of Gemara. This occurs in Aramaic and Hebrew. I have
never seen a <i>Daf Yomi</i> class given with an English text.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">So,
too, it goes with <i>tefillah, </i>a Hebrew word we use even in casual
conversation instead of the English word "prayer". While one can use
an English or French <i>siddur </i>(again Hebrew), the <i>minyan</i> (again
Hebrew) itself is conducted in Hebrew. There's no repetition of the <i>Amidah</i>
in Russian or Spanish. <i>Kaddish</i> is in Aramaic, which is related to Hebrew.
The <i>tzibur</i> sings in Hebrew. There are no hymns in English as you'll find
in a church. <i>Hallel</i> is said aloud in Hebrew. Even the songs we sing on <i>Simchas
Torah</i> are in Hebrew. The same goes for <i>Shabbos z'miros</i>. The readings
of the Torah and Haftarah are in Hebrew. <i>Megillas Esther</i> is read twice
on Purim in Hebrew, and we are instructed to listen to every word. I used
thirteen Hebrew words in that paragraph which talked about everyday Jewish
life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Jewish
men pray close to two hours every weekday, more on <i>Shabbos</i>, <i>Yom Tov</i>,
<i>Chanukah</i>, and <i>Rosh Chodesh</i>. Good Christians go to church once a
week, oftentimes for under an hour, praying in the local language. (A
traditional Catholics service can take considerably more time and may contain
some Latin.) Muslim men pray 5x a day, but they are quick prayers — about seven
minutes each, nothing like Jewish prayer with its thick prayer book, much of
which is said as a group in Hebrew.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">And
since half of the Jewish people and at least half of the religiously observant
ones now live in the State of Israel, Hebrew has come to comprise what seems a
majority of new books, articles, and <i>parsha</i> sheets, not to mention
posters, <i>tzedukah</i> appeals, book approbations, and wedding and bar
mitzvah invitations. Many if not most of the books are written not in the
abbreviated rabbinic Hebrew of old but in flowing modern Hebrew prose.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Even
classes in English are only partially given in English. I'm not even talking
about the texts that most <i>maggid shiurim</i> (lecturers) race through —
those nearly always are in Hebrew or Aramaic — but even the explanations in
English are laced with Hebrew expressions. Attending a <i>shiur</i> in English
today gives a person the chance to experience the creation of a new language,
some call it <i>Yeshivish</i>. One gets a glimpse into history. How did Yiddish
or Ladino develop? Seems to be that one started with the local tongue — German
or Spanish — and added Hebrew words, Talmudic phrases, and Jewish
sensibilities. New languages emerged, ones that universities teach as
independent subjects. We have gotten to a point that a person needs a
substantial Hebrew vocabulary to follow <i>shiurim</i> in English in most
communities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">I'm
not complaining about all the Hebrew. What I want to do is to ask emphatically
why we don't teach Hebrew sufficiently in our schools? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">When
I refer to schools, I refer mostly to Anglo <i>yeshivos</i> and seminaries. I
know America best. I can't speak for England even though it seems that the
situation isn't any different in any Anglo country. In many Modern Orthodox
schools, the teaching of Hebrew as a language is at least officially part of
the curriculum. However, it is serious in only a few such as the Yeshiva of
Flatbush where they engage in something called <i>Ivrit b'Ivrit</i>, which
means teaching Torah subjects entirely in Hebrew. This is a good way to learn
Hebrew, but it is not so commonly employed these days. In fact, it's rare. As
Charedi schools generally spend more time on simple translation and most Modern
Orthodox schools spend inadequate time on formal language study, the results
are not stellar for either.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">“They
don't teach Hebrew,” you say? “What about those <i>Chumash</i> booklets with
the translation?” That's called <i>teitch</i>, a Yiddish word for translate.
It's a word for word or sentence to sentence translation. Here's a sample of
that:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTable15Grid1LightAccent1" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1536;">
<tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid #BDD6EE 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-border-themetint: 102; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 225.7pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">And
these are<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #BDD6EE 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themetint: 102; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-border-themetint: 102; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 225.7pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: right; text-indent: .3in;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">ואלה</span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #BDD6EE 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-border-top-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 102; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 225.7pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">the
descendants of<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #BDD6EE 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #BDD6EE 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 102; mso-border-left-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themetint: 102; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themetint: 102; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-border-top-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 102; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 225.7pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: right; text-indent: .3in;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">תולדות</span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #BDD6EE 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-border-top-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 102; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 225.7pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">יצחק</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
the son of <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">אברהם</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #BDD6EE 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #BDD6EE 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 102; mso-border-left-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themetint: 102; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themetint: 102; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-border-top-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 102; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 225.7pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: right; text-indent: .3in;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">יצחק בן אברהם</span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #BDD6EE 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-border-top-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 102; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 225.7pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">אברהם</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
gave birth to <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">יצחק</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #BDD6EE 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #BDD6EE 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 102; mso-border-left-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themetint: 102; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themetint: 102; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 102; mso-border-top-alt: solid #BDD6EE .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 102; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 225.7pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: right; text-indent: .3in;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">אברהם הוליד את יצחק</span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.35pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">This
approach does not constitute rigorous language study as it relies mostly on
memorization. How many words does a person have to memorize if he doesn't know
basic grammar? The answer is all of them. This is particularly the case with
Hebrew which attaches prepositions and definite articles to nouns as prefixes
and possessive pronouns as suffixes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Consider
the following words: </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">מגדל</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">במגדל</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">המגדל</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> To an English-speaking child that looks
like three words each beginning the different letters. If one were so daring as
to look them up in a dictionary, he'd thumb through words beginning with three
different letters – <i>mem</i>, <i>beit</i>, and <i>hey</i>. Only in the first
case would he find anything. But those with some background in Hebrew grammar
recognize a single noun – </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">מגדל</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
which means tower. It comes from a single root <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">גדל</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
which means grow. The three words are translated as tower, in a tower, and the
tower. The middle word can also mean in the tower depending what vowel you
stick under the <i>beit</i>. I won't go through all the rules here involving
how to add definite articles and prepositions. Those who know them should
understand what I'm getting at. As for those who don't, hopefully they get the
point.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">I
could add more letters to the root </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">גדל</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">of
these words. I can add letters to the end that indicate possession. </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">מגדלו</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">means
his tower. I can also use the root in many forms of verbs. To grow up, to
raise, and to enlarge are three different meanings of the verb depending on
letter and vowel combinations. Those letter and vowel combinations can be
applied to hundreds of other roots. The knowledgeable person does not have to
memorize thousands of conjugated verbs. Rather, he learns a hundred or so
roots, applies to them dozens of rules, and conjugates the verbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, the letters </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">תי</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">at
the end of the root is first person past tense: I grew up or </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">גדלתי</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">.</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> If I append those letters to the root </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">כתב</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">I
get </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">כתבתי</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">or I wrote. This is obvious material to
those who take it for granted. Those people might be shocked to learn just how
many of their brethren are ignorant of these rules.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Reading
Hebrew without knowledge of these rules is like doing math without
multiplication. Let's say I work in a warehouse and receive 100 boxes that
contain 50 books each. Using multiplication, I multiply 100 by 50 and get 5000.
Without multiplication, I must open every box, pull out every book, and count
until I get to 5000. Then I must replace the books and seal the boxes. How
would you feel if your child went through school without learning
multiplication? He would be unfit for working on a loading dock in a warehouse.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">It's
the same with trying to study Torah in Hebrew without knowledge of Hebrew
grammar. How many <i>yeshivos</i> teach Hebrew grammar in a formalized manner?
Not many. Some teach a bit along the way but not as a formal subject. They
might tell you once or twice that a <i>hey</i> in front of a noun means
"the". You might remember the rule. You might not. Mostly, they just
translate as they go. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">This
continues through adulthood. I hesitate to tell you how many adults of my
acquaintance cannot read Hebrew more than minimally. And when I say read, I
don't mean sounding out letters. The Orthodox Jewish world is the only society
I know of that defines reading as sounding letters without understanding. I
remember the time I first took my child for an interview for kindergarten. I
was asked, can he read? I was thinking, you think that a four-year-old can
read? Then I found out that by read the principal meant sounding out letters.
This is not reading. If I went to Poland and said that I can read Polish they'd
assume I meant read and understand. Read. Like read a book.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">I
have a friend who ran an experiment. He went to the local <i>mesivta</i> with a
simple text and asked the boys if they could translate it. All failed to
translate more than fragments of it. These are <i>frum-</i>from-birth boys who
had been in <i>yeshivos</i> since the age of four. A decade later they could
not read (and understand).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">One
man reported to me that his <i>chavrusos</i> have been the same way. He was
talking about <i>chavrusos</i> from the <i>kollels</i> that were assigned to
study with him. He thought that with a <i>kollel</i> guy he could bring some of
those more difficult Hebrew texts that he has been unable to read, and they can
go through them together. The reality was disappointing. One after the next
could not understand the words. They had to stick with what they learned in <i>kollel</i>
that day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">How
important is being able to translate a text? I give you the words of R’ Yaakov
Weinberg (1923–1999)<i>, Rosh Yeshiva </i>of <i>Yeshivas</i> <i>Neir Yisroel </i>in
Baltimore:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">The
most important thing that any school that hopes their children will go on to
learn in a high school must give them — more important than Chumash, <i>halachah</i>,
Gemara, and <i>hashkafah</i> — is to be able to read and translate. If they are
able to read and translate they will have a future in which they can, for
example, learn the <i>Mesilas Yesharim</i> quickly. You know that to learn <i>Mesilas
Yesharim</i> properly you have to run through it a few times to know its
totality before you can learn it slowly. But a <i>bachur</i> today cannot learn
it that way because he is struggling with each sentence to figure out what the
words mean. Therefore there is no such thing as learning through the <i>Mesilas
Yesharim</i> or the <i>Sha'arei Teshuvah</i>. <i>Baruch Hashem</i>, today we
have Artscroll and other translations. Now he can forget about reading the <i>Sha'arei
Teshuvah</i> and learn the English, <i>The Gates of Repentance</i>. Beautiful!
But would it not have been nice if he could learn it inside?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">What
will this <i>bachur</i> read? If he knows how to read Hebrew, there are
midrashim, <i>sefarim</i>, and histories. If he cannot read Hebrew, he has to
read English. So what is he going to read — a Western, a mystery? You are
closing doors on him. The most important thing that any school can do for its
children is to enable them to read <i>lashon hakodesh</i>. Then, when they are
in the ninth grade, they will go through the Chumash and read Mishnah and be
able to make a <i>leining</i> on Gemara, and their whole future and existence
will be different. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">So
instead you are going to learn another <i>parashah</i> of Chumash and take away
their whole future? Think — make a <i>cheshbon</i>. There is no more important
thing that a school can give the children than the ability to read <i>lashon
hakodesh</i> because it opens a whole world to him. But if he cannot read
Hebrew, it is closed! <i>Baruch Hashem</i>, ArtScroll makes a lot more things
accessible than they used to be, but, <i>gevalt</i>, is that the answer?<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 56.7pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">He
says it’s more important than <i>Chumash</i>, <i>halachah</i>, <i>Gemara</i>,
and <i>hashkafah</i>. <i>Baruch Hashem</i> that R’ Weinberg was brave enough to
say it, and yet we put so little organized effort into Hebrew. Our children
must be not just familiar with our language but comfortable with it. Dare I say
they must be at home with it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Who
else offers a similar message? R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888): <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">The
indispensable basis of all is knowledge of the language, the mother tongue and
the tongue of the Torah. From an early age every child in Israel should become
familiar concurrently with the language of his country and with that of the
writings which are to guide his life, — namely, Hebrew. In and from these
writings he should derive his understanding of things and their relations, from
them his ideas should be illustrated and clarified, from an early age his
spiritual life should be developed by them. Anyone who realizes how a man's
whole way of thinking takes its stamp and colouring from the language in which
he speaks and thinks will agree with our Sages in regarding it as a matter of
some consequence that the child should learn the holy language of the Scripture
at an early age. With it you place in his hands the key to realizing that the
Scriptures ought to be the basis and source of his life, and also to making
them actually his constant companions in life. Begin, therefore, with the
language, and let him first read the Torah more with a view to enriching his
knowledge of the language.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 56.7pt; margin-right: 56.7pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">R'
Hirsch who is the inspiration and whose students were the architects for the <i>Bais
Yaakov</i> movement that saved <i>Klal Yisroel</i> tells us that our first
study of <i>Chumash</i> should be more for the study of the language than for
the content. This is the same message as that of R’ Weinberg.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">The
great German Jewish sage R’ Ezriel Hildesheimer (1820-1899) offers a similar
message:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">When it comes to religious
education of girls, we must make the regular teaching of the Hebrew language,
the main focus of our efforts. As soon as the child overcomes the difficulty of
reading Hebrew, and even while she is overcoming it, she should be taught the
basic rules of the Hebrew language, which can easily be achieved because girls
mature early. Thereafter, simple and easily understandable grammar should
prepare them for the translation of simple passages from the prayers and
historical texts of the Holy Scriptures, followed by practice in translation
and analysis. She should then proceed to active reading of selected biblical
passages in the original language. The time now spent in school and at home in
memorizing ’religion” and biblical history should be used for this purpose, and
it is perfectly sufficient to learn religion and biblical history from the
original source, from the Holy scriptures themselves. In this way, senior
students are able to read the most magnificent passages from the Prophets,
Psalms, proverbs, etc. but the children are spared the agony of memorization.
This agony contributes not a little to the fact that in the eyes of children,
religious school is considered either as unbearable, or just a necessary evil.
There is no need to experiment on whether this can succeed; it has already been
done with great success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the school
of Rabbi Hirsch in Frankfurt am Main, girls are already competing with each
other in reading the Holy Scriptures in the original language.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">R’ Hirsch
in his educational program as outlined in his book <i>Horeb</i> lists Hebrew
language instruction first among all topics:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">We
may therefore tabulate the general subjects of instruction for Jewish youth as
follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">(1)
Hebrew language. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">(2)
Vernacular.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">(3)
Torah, Nevi'im and Kethuvim....<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 56.7pt; margin-right: 56.7pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Hebrew
language is first, before Torah. And regarding Hebrew and the local tongue
(items 1 and 2) he adds the following note, “Concurrently and as living
languages at an early age along with general knowledge and development of the
mind.” Living languages means speaking, conversation, and composition. Simple
line by line translation of a text is not living a language.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">R'
Hirsch takes it even further. A living language is one in which you can think.
Says R’ Hirsch in his book <i>The 19 Letters</i>: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: -3.15pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">The
young saplings of our people must be reared as Jews, as sons and daughters of
Judaism, which you have now recognized and understood, and have learned to
respect and love as the essence of your life. They should master the language
of the Tanach just as they do that of their country, and should be taught to
think in both tongues.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 56.7pt; margin-right: 56.7pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Translating
from Hebrew to English certainly is not the same as being able to think in
Hebrew and will not give you the same facility in Hebrew as you have in English.
It's not even close.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">While
most people would agree on the importance of Hebrew, they deem the solution as
using only Hebrew texts as if that alone will enable comfort with Hebrew. We
blame Artscroll as if the existence of English translations is the source of
the problem and the solution is to allow only Hebrew texts. “Break your teeth
on it” is the brutish advice we give. Sometimes I think we glamorize pain as if
every good thing in life comes not with pain but only because of pain. This is
very primitive thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">The
break-your-teeth-on-it method produces bored students. One little boy told me
once how he dislikes <i>davening</i> since he understands very little of the
Hebrew text. Somehow years of <i>davening</i> only in Hebrew didn't produce
understanding. Why should it? Would sounding out letters in Russian teach you
Russian? 100 years of that wouldn't teach you Russian. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Who
else advocated the study of grammar? The Maharal (16<sup>th</sup> century). Biographer
Yaacov Dovid Shulman explains:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">One
of the first things the Maharal did upon returning from Posen to Prague was to
help Rabbi Yosef Heilperin of Posen publish <i>Eim Hayeled</i>, a Hebrew
grammar for seven-year-old children. In his preface, Rabbi Heilperin wrote that
the Maharal had urged him to produce this work, and the Maharal himself added a
line that one is obligated to teach one's children the Holy Tongue in a clear
manner, just as was done in previous generations. <a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">This
is not grammar for scholars. It's not even for the average adult or <i>yeshivah
gadolah</i> student. It's for seven-year-olds. Furthermore, it wasn't an
invention by the Maharal. It is a continuation of what was done in previous
generations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 27.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Who
else advocated the study of grammar? The <i>Peri Megaden </i>(18<sup>th</sup>
century) said,<i> “</i>The science of grammar is a cornerstone of Torah and
when studying a lesson in <i>Gemara</i>, one should also have grammar books in
front of him....”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">R' Chaim Fessel tells us of
other authorities who advocated the study of grammar, for example the <i>posek</i>
R' Yosef Eliyahu Henkin (1881–1973):<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 56.7pt; margin-right: 56.7pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: right; text-indent: .3in;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">מִי שֶלֹא<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>לָמַד יְסוֹדֵי וְעִקְרֵי הַדִקְדּוּק הוּא מְשַבֵּש הַקְּרִיאָה אֲפִילוּ
כְּשֶקוֹרֵא בְּסֵפֶר מְנוּקָד, וְכָל שֶכֵּן כְּשֶקוֹרֵא בְּלִי נִקּוּד וְגַם
הוּא מְשַבֵּש בְּפֵירוּשּ הַמִלּוֹת וְהָעִנְיָן</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">One
who has not studied the foundations and principles of Hebrew grammar errs in
reading “even” when reading in a sefer that has <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">נְקוּדוֹת</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="AR-SA"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span>. More so when one reads without <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">נִקּוּד</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> certainly errs in the translation of the words and its meaning.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 56.7pt; margin-right: 56.7pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">And
then there's R' Yisroel Belsky (1938 -2016), <i>Rosh Yeshiva</i> of <i>Yeshiva
Torah v'Daas</i> on the importance of learning "<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">שָרָשֵי
לְשוֹן הַקֹדֶש לְשוֹן הַתּוֹרָה וְכִתְבֵי קֹדֶש</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>":<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">It
is our misfortune and grief that this wisdom has almost been forgotten from the
curriculum of most yeshivos. They do not pay attention to the study of <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">לְשוֹן הַקֹדֶש</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> because of the difficulty in learning the <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">רַשִ"י</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> in hundreds of places that enlighten us in
the interpretation of the words of the Torah.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 56.7pt; margin-right: 56.7pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Taking
this a step further, is the view that not only is grammar a cornerstone of
Torah, but that it constitutes a mitzvah. According to R' Yitzchak Frank,
author of <i>Grammar for Gemara</i>, such was the view of the Rambam<i> </i>(12<sup>th</sup>
century)<i> </i>as shown in his commentary on <i>Avos</i> II:1. Says Rabbi
Frank, “The Rambam considered the study of Hebrew a mitzvah in its own
right."<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The Mishnah:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 56.7pt; margin-right: 56.7pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: right; text-indent: .3in;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">רבי אומר איזוהי דרך ישרה שיבור לו האדם כל
שהיא תפארת לעושיה ותפארת לו מן האדם והוה זהיר במצווה קלה כבחמורה שאין אתה יודע
מתן שכרן של מצוות והוה<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 56.7pt; margin-right: 56.7pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: right; text-indent: .3in;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span dir="RTL">מחשב הפסד מצווה כנגד שכרה ושכר עבירה כנגד הפסדה הסתכל בשלושה דברים ואין
אתה בא לידי עבירה דע מה למעלה ממך עין רואה ואוזן שומעת וכל מעשיך בספר נכתבין</span></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">The
Rambam:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 56.7pt; margin-right: 56.7pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: right; text-indent: .3in;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">מבואר הוא שדרך הישרה היא הפעולות הטובות
אשר בארנו בפ' הרביעי והם מהמעלות הממוצעות מפני שבהם יקנה האדם לנפשו תכונה חשובה
ויהיה מנהגו טוב עם בני אדם והוא אמרו תפארת לעושה ותפארת לו מן האדם אח"כ
אמר שצריך ליזהר במצוה שיחשב בה שהיא קלה כשמחת הרגל ולמידת לשון הקדש כמצוה
שהתבאר לך חומרתה שהיא גדולה כמילה וציצית ושחיטת הפסח ושם סיבת זה שאין אתה יודע
מתן שכרן של מצות</span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">I
purposely am leaving this untranslated to demonstrate the importance of our
learning the Hebrew language.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">20<sup>th</sup>
century rabbinic leader R’ Yaakov Kamenetsky (1891-1986) also<i> </i>viewed the
study of grammar as <i>Limud Torah</i>. In the words of his son R’ Nosson
Kamenetsky:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">With
regard to grammar, I note that my revered father <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">זצ'ל</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
held that its study is included in the <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">מצוה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
of <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">תלמוד תורה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> because its knowledge
is crucial for reaching correct Halakhic conclusions. He cited a grammatical
error which led a well-intentioned author to propose building a <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">מקוה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> in any Jewish home. Ignorance of the
gender of the noun <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">אצבע</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> in <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">רמב'ם הלכות ספר תורה פ'ה ה'ט</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> had led that individual to advocate <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">מקוואות</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> in that were undersized and invalid; their
use would have resulted in massive <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">איסורי כרת</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="AR-SA"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> Knowledge of grammar
is thus not <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">פרפראות
לחכמה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> which the <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">תוספות יו'ט</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
defines as "studies undertaken to enhance knowledge" also not to be
denigrated -- but <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA">גופי תורה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> , 'studies that
affect Halakha.' <a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">In
his book <i>Torah Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on Timely Issues</i>, R'
Yehuda Levi identifies numerous other authorities who agree that "grammar
is basic to understanding the Torah..."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>R' Avraham ibn Ezra (12<sup>th</sup> century)<i> </i>said, "It is
beneficial for the intelligent person to acquire [knowledge] of this
discipline, but not to spend all his time on it."<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
This view is echoed by the <i>Chavos Yair zt'l</i>.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Writes Levi:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shelah<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
considers it advisable to learn grammar while one is young, so that it will be
remembered. R' Yaakov Emden<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
concurs, adding that the knowledge "is a great necessity, for even if one
has learned the entire Torah [without grammar], he cannot guard against
occasional misinterpretations, which can lead, God forbid, to sacrilege... .
[Grammar] is a tool that serves the entire body of our holy Torah. Therefore
its study takes priority in the order of learning. Nevertheless, it is
beneficial only when limited in extent -- too much would waste time without
corresponding benefit."<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 56.7pt; margin-right: 56.7pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Levi
cites also the Vilna Gaon (1720-1797)<i> </i>who cautioned his sons to become
well-versed in the twenty-four books of scripture with their vocalization and
cantillation along with the study of grammar.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[17]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
And he cites as well the Levush (16th century),<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn18" name="_ftnref18" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[18]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
the Maharal,<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn19" name="_ftnref19" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[19]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
R' Pripot Duran (1350-1415),<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn20" name="_ftnref20" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[20]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
and R' Menachem Mendel Kargau<i> </i>(1772–1842)<i> </i>who said, "It is
unseemly for a person of stature to lack knowledge of any discipline,
especially grammar, lest he speak faultily."<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn21" name="_ftnref21" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[21]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
16th century Polish scholar R' Shabthai Sofer<i> </i>concluded that everyone is
obligated to study grammar and he brought proofs for this conclusion from
Torah, Midrash, Mishnah, <i>Targum</i>, <i>Sefer HaYetzriah</i>, Zohar, and
elsewhere.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn22" name="_ftnref22" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn22;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[22]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">A biographer of the Vilna
Gaon writes, “For all his vast knowledge of secular wisdom, the Gaon constantly
emphasized to his students, that with the exception of Hebrew grammar, they
should confine their studies to Torah.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn23" name="_ftnref23" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn23;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[23]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Who
else? R’ Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903-1993). In the 1948 meeting notes for the
Maimonides school, we see the following:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 31.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Question was raised of
teaching children Hebrew in Hebrew. Mrs. Soloveitchik pointed out that the
Hebrew Dept. of the school stressed the religious content so that the Hebrew
language had been neglected. However, for the past few years, the Rabbi [Soloveitchik]
has asked the Hebrew teachers to use more Hebrew and great attention to the
language and grammar is now being paid.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn24" name="_ftnref24" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn24;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[24]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 31.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Who else? <a name="_Hlk128091302">The Lubavitcher Rebbe. R’ Nissan Mangel reports that “the
Rebbe suggested that I learn Tanach, Shulchan Aruch, and also Hebrew grammar.”
This was in addition to his Talmudic studies. (Dalfin, Conversations with the
Rebbe, p. 121) And R’ Mangel was a natural with languages as he, although born
in Czechoslovakia, translated the Chabad siddur into English. (The conversation
with the Rebbe happened when R’ Mangel was a bachur, long before he engaged in
professional translation.) One needs to be very good with languages to
translate into a language other than his mother tongue. Nevertheless, the Rebbe
advised him to study Hebrew grammar. </a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">I'm
not an expert on the worldwide Anglo yeshivah system but would say that few if
any Anglo Charedi yeshivos offers ongoing, daily, substantive classes in Hebrew
grammar or conversation — the kind of classes that are necessary to turn Hebrew
into a living language. And as I mentioned earlier, I can name only a handful
of Modern Orthodox schools that dedicate sufficient energies to language study
and translation or teach <i>Ivrit b'Ivrit</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">How
did we get here? One can theorize. Despite the historic teaching of grammar as
noted by the Maharal, there was resistance to Hebrew classes and Torah
instruction in Hebrew a few generations ago because it meant a switch from
Yiddish to Hebrew and this tied into a resistance to secular Zionism.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn25" name="_ftnref25" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn25;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[25]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Yiddish had been the language of European Jewry for more than half a millennium
and switching from it was viewed most understandably as a risky proposition,
particularly when Hebrew language instruction was dominated by secularists. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">The
use of Hebrew as a spoken language was an ideological battleground in the old <i>Yishuv</i>.
The book <i>Guardian of Jerusalem</i> takes us through the history. R' Yosef
Chaim Sonnenfeld noted at the time "I write in Yiddish because one of the
most destructive aspects of the secular schools is that they have made use of
the Hebrew language into a cardinal principle of Judaism." As R' Shlomo
Zalman Sonnenfeld, author of the <i>Guardian of Jerusalem</i> explains:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The secularists proceeded on the assumption
that the Land of Israel and the Hebrew language in themselves guaranteed the
survival of the Jewish people, even after all ties with the Torah and its
precepts had been severed. It was in response to this contention that those
adhering to the principal that G-d's holy Torah is absolute and immutable
resisted the adoption of Hebrew as their daily language.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn26" name="_ftnref26" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn26;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[26]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Arguably,
just as the early secular Zionist leaders had acquired an understanding of
nation as being based on land, government, and military from the nationalist
European nations in which nearly all of them were raised, they had acquired the
European understanding of nation through common language as well. The study of
Hebrew seems to have been a casualty in the resulting war against this
secularism.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">We
have to be careful to withhold judgement on the battle strategy since we cannot
stand in the shoes of the <i>rabbanim</i> of those times. Secular Zionism along
with the <i>hashkala</i> with which it was partnered was tearing the masses of
Jews from Torah observance. We live today in the aftermath where 90% of Jewry
is non-practicing. Obviously, the first priority was to keep Jews in the fold
and the challenge was immense. R' Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld reflected thoughtfully
on the choice of strategy: "It was perhaps our mistake not to adopt Hebrew
immediately upon our arrival in <i>Eretz Yisrael</i>. By doing so, we would
have pre-empted the irreligious camp and robbed it of its most potent weapon ...
We would then not have been forced into taking a negative stand against Hebrew
being the official language, on the basis of its having been adopted and
transformed it into a cardinal principle by the secularists."<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn27" name="_ftnref27" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn27;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[27]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Notably,
R' Sonnenfeld viewed the opposition to Hebrew as a temporary measure and as <i>Guardian
of Jerusalem</i> explains he operated from the principle that "in
circumstances where failure to introduce Hebrew would undermine Torah
education, the Torah instruction of Jewish children certainly took
precedence." The book describes several examples where old <i>Yishuv</i>
leaders such as R' Yosef Chaim defended the use of Hebrew in certain
circumstances. For example, he defended R' Moshe Porush's conducting of Torah
classes in Hebrew in the farming community of Yavnael after the parents there
demanded it. <a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn28" name="_ftnref28" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn28;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[28]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">R' <span style="color: #222222;">Avraham
Yeshaya Karelitz, t</span>he <i>Chaz</i></span><i><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">on Ish</span></i><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> (1878-1953), also
supported schools where instruction took place in Hebrew. As <i>Guardian of
Jerusalem</i> describes it:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hebrew, the <i>Chazon Ish</i> explained, is
no longer today's battlefield. Were opposition to Hebrew to be maintained,
there would be a real danger that tens of thousands of pupils would leave the <i>yeshivos</i>
and enter secular schools, where they would become completely alienated. It is
literally a question of life and death and one must act in accordance with the
demands of such extreme situations. The purpose of opposition to Hebrew was to
strength Torah and Judaism, not weaken it.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn29" name="_ftnref29" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn29;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[29]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dangers are even greater today as our
children no longer speak Yiddish, faith is not a given, the temptations from
the outside world have reached ridiculous forms and proportions, and demands
from schooling, including hours and years spent in yeshiva, are greater than
ever. Today, we are not moving from Yiddish to Hebrew but from English to
Hebrew and this can only be an improvement. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">When
I call for the study of grammar I'm not talking about esoteric grammar, the
kind one might use to be an expert in Tanach or to determine the precise
infections to apply with words that contain an<i> ayin</i> or <i>aleph</i>. I'm
talking about basic grammar: how to conjugate a common verb, how to say
"the", i.e., placing a definite article before a noun, how to
indicate possession. Israelis may know all this naturally through natural
language acquisition, but the typical Anglo, French, Russian, or Latin Jew is
not going to get it unless he studies it. Of course, there will be brilliant
people who can become adept at Torah and Tefillah without formal study of
grammar, but they are a percentage point or two of the population. We cannot
design an educational strategy for the masses based on their experience. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">For
<i>baalei teshuvah</i> and converts, the need to study Hebrew formally is
particularly crucial for they may have not had any exposure to the language at
all. Consider these passionate words from an interview with one such person:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">...I am very grateful for
having had the opportunity to learn Hebrew in a professional manner. The first
time I picked up a siddur to daven, I understood what I was saying. I can pick
up a Hebrew sefer, read it and understand it better than many students who have
spent years learning full-time. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">I think it’s absolutely
crazy that baalei teshuvah should skip over acquiring this basic skill. I am
convinced that by investing time in learning the language properly, the
dividends will be well worth it, and everything else would become much easier. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Q: This obviously bothers
you very much. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">A: Yes, it bothers me a
great deal. When I was living near Ohr Somayach, I spoke with many baalei
teshuvah, and you have no idea of the feelings of inferiority and frustration
engendered because of the deficiency in basic Hebrew reading skills. If a Jew can’t
pick up a sefer and understand it, he will never feel truly at home in the
Orthodox world. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">I think that people tend to
forget that most baalei teshuvah will not remain in yeshiva for years and
years. If they are not given the basic tools – such as Hebrew and a solid
foundation in Chumash – they will lack the skills necessary to become committed
baalei batim later in life and will never reach their true potential. <a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn30" name="_ftnref30" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn30;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[30]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">We
ask ALL our children to make Torah study their lives. We push away the
diversions of the world: sports, entertainment, technology, travelling, even
careers, and tell our children to do Torah and Torah only. And yet we don't
teach them the language that Torah is written in. Is this an act of insanity?
In the words of Professor Adam Ferziger:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-themecolor: text1;">In Israel, the language of the Siddur, the
language of the Chumash, the language of the Tanach is the <i>lingua franca</i>
and the most secular Israeli can read Chumash with a little bit of work better
than a kid who has gone to day school here [in Canada] for whatever years. A
little bit of work just to get the syntax, etc. But Hebrew is — I believe this
strongly — Hebrew is the key to almost everything in Judaism from a skill set
perspective. If you have Hebrew — many of us grew up in an <i>Ivrit b'Ivrit</i>
generation and that is not the case now, there's a sense of oh if I teach in
Hebrew I won't be able to teach as much Gemara, I won't be able to teach the
Ramban and the Rashi the same way. To me it seems like once a person has the
real skills in Hebrew they'll get the other thing. It was a wrong educational
turn [moving away from instruction in Hebrew], but there are reasons for that.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftn31" name="_ftnref31" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn31;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: text1;">[31]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">At
present, one must sit in a mixed gender class to learn Hebrew language as a
serious subject. For people who are religiously opposed to mixed gender classes
we have quite a predicament. And for those who don't mind it they still must
find a school that teaches the subject energetically. However, these are
predicaments with an easy solution and that is classes in Hebrew grammar,
conversation, and composition as a staple in Jewish education in all Jewish schools.
Let us follow the counsel of Ibn Ezra, Rambam, Maharal, Levush, R' Shabthai
Sofer, Peri Megaden, Vilna Gaon, R' Yaakov Emden, R' Menachem Mendel Kargau, R'
Samson R. Hirsch, R’ Ezriel Hildesheimer, R' Pripot Duran, R' Yosef Eliyahu
Henkin, R' Yaakov Kamenetsky, R’ Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik, the Lubavitcher Rebbe,
and R' Chaim Yisroel Belsky and get reacquainted with Hebrew grammar. Let us
follow R' Samson Raphael Hirsch's educational prescription that Hebrew be a
living language. Let us heed R' Yaakov Weinberg's exhortation that being able
to translate Hebrew must precede all other study. Let us give our children the
tools for success.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Rabbi Doniel Frank (editor), <i>Rav
Weinberg talks about chinuch (</i>Southfield, MI:<i> </i>Targum Press, 2006)
36a. Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg (1923-1999).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888), <i>Horeb
</i>(New York<i>: </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soncino Press,
1994) 551.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> Marc Shapiro, “R.
Esriel Hildesheimer on Torah Study for Women,” Tradition, Summer 2022 Issue
54.3, p. 142.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, <i>Horeb</i>,
552.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Samson Raphael Hirsch,
"The Nineteen Letters," Letter Eighteen as cited in The Hirsch
Anthology (Nanuet, NY: Feldheim, 2017) p. 127.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> Yaacov Dovid Shulman, <i>The
Maharal of Prague</i> (New York: CIS Publishers, 1992) p. 211. R' <span style="color: #222222;">Judah Loew ben Bezalel (d. 1609).</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' <span style="color: #222222;">Joseph ben
Meir Teomim (1727–1792), </span><i>Peri Megaden</i>, Introduction, paragraph
16, cited in Yitzchak Frank, <i>Grammar for Gemara</i> Preface to 1<sup>st</sup>
Edition (Jerusalem: Ariel Institute, 2003); <i>Peri Megaden, </i>Introduction
to the </span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">ט</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">"</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">ז</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">,</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> Orach Chaim, Letter 1 as cited in Kol Hamikra, "Additional
</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">מאמרי</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> </span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">חז</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">'</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">ל</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>"</span><b><span style="color: #993300; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"> </span></b><b><span style="color: #993300; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><</span></b><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> http://www.abaalkoreh.com/sources-and-citations/>).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Yosef Eliyahu Henkin
(1881-1973), "</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">עֵדוּת</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> </span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">לְיִשרָאֵל</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>" page 156, [</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">אות</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> </span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">נ</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">"</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">ט</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">]</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> cited in R' Chaim Fessel, Kol Hamikra
"Sources and Citations"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>< http://www.abaalkoreh.com/sources-and-citations/>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Chaim Fessel, Kol
Hamikra, "Sources and Citations" http://www.abaalkoreh.com/sources-and-citations/>.</span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> Yitzchak Frank, <i>Grammar for Gemara</i>,
Preface to 1<sup>st</sup> Edition. See also Rambam, <i>Hilchos Talmud Torah</i>
3:3 and <i>Tosfos Yom Tov</i> on <i>Avos</i> 3:8, <i>d'h</i>: <i>takufos</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn11" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Nathan Kamenetsky, Approbation for <i>Grammar
for Gemara</i>, Yitzchak Frank. R' Yaakov Kamenetsky (1891-1986).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn12" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Ibn Ezra (1092-1167), <i>Yesod
Mora</i>, part 1, cited in Yehuda Levi, <i>Torah Study: A Survey of Classic
Sources on Timely Issues (New York: Feldheim, 2002) </i>pp. 204-5. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn13" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">R' Yair Bacharach
(1639-1702), <i>Chavos Yair</i> 124 cited in Yehuda Levi, <i>Torah Study: A
Survey of Classic Sources on Timely Issues (New York: Feldheim, 2002) </i>pp.
204-5. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn14" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' <span style="color: #222222;">Isaiah ben Abraham Horowitz (1555-1630), </span>Shelah, <i>Shavu'oth</i>,
beginning, cited in Yehuda Levi, <i>Torah Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on
Timely Issues</i> (New York: Feldheim, 2002)<i> </i>p. 204. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn15" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">R' Yaakov Emden
(1697-1776), <i>Migdal 'Oz</i>, fol. 16d, 17a, cited in Yehuda Levi, <i>Torah
Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on Timely Issues </i>(New York: Feldheim,
2002)<i> </i>p. 204. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn16" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Yehuda Levi, <i>Torah
Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on Timely Issues </i>(New York: Feldheim,
2002)<i> </i>pp. 204-5. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn17" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[17]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">R' <span style="color: #222222;">Elijah
ben Solomon Zalman (1720-1797), </span>Vilna Gaon, <i>Introduction to
commentary on Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim</i>, cited in Yehuda Levi, <i>Torah
Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on Timely Issues</i> (New York: Feldheim,
2002)<i> </i>p. 205. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn18" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[18]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">R' <span style="color: #222222;">Mordecai
ben Avraham Yoffe (1530-1612), </span>Levush, approbation to <i>Eim HaYeled</i>,
cited in Yehuda Levi, <i>Torah Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on Timely
Issues </i>(New York: Feldheim, 2002)<i> </i>p. 204.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn19" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref19" name="_ftn19" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[19]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">R' <span style="color: #222222;">Judah
Loew ben Bezalel (1512-1609), </span>Maharal, approbation to <i>Eim HaYeled</i>,
cited in Yehuda Levi, <i>Torah Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on Timely
Issues </i>(New York: Feldheim, 2002)<i> </i>p. 204.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn20" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref20" name="_ftn20" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[20]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">R' Pripot Duran, Ma'aseh
Ephod, introduction, cited in Yehuda Levi, <i>Torah Study: A Survey of Classic
Sources on Timely Issues </i>(New York: Feldheim, 2002)<i> </i>p. 204.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn21" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref21" name="_ftn21" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[21]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Menachem Mendel Kargau
(1772–1842, Germany), Responsa <i>Giduley Taharah</i> 7, cited in Yehuda Levi, <i>Torah
Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on Timely Issues</i> (New York: Feldheim,
2002)<i> </i>p. 205. Levi notes that Kargau might have been referring to the
local language.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn22" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref22" name="_ftn22" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn22;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[22]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Shabthai Sofer (16th
century, Poland), <i>Teshuvoth HaGeonim</i>, Amsterdam edition, 5467, cited in
Yehuda Levi, <i>Torah Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on Timely Issues </i>(New
York: Feldheim, 2002)<i> </i>p. 204.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn23" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref23" name="_ftn23" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn23;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[23]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> Betzalel Landau, The
Vilna Gaon, Brooklyn, NY: Artscroll, 1995, pp. 156-7.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn24" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref24" name="_ftn24" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn24;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[24]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> Minutes book of the
Maimonides School, May 29, 1948, p. 16 in Farber, An American Orthodox Dreamer,
p. 116.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn25" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref25" name="_ftn25" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn25;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[25]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> See Reuven Klein, <i>Lashon
Kodesh</i> (Mosaica Press: 2014) pp. 140-1.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn26" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref26" name="_ftn26" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn26;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[26]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Shlomo Zalman
Sonnenfeld, <i>Guardian of Jerusalem</i> (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2002)
p. 323. R' Yosef Chaim Sonnefeld (1848-1932)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn27" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref27" name="_ftn27" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn27;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[27]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Shlomo Zalman
Sonnenfeld, <i>Guardian of Jerusalem</i>, p. 322.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn28" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref28" name="_ftn28" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn28;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[28]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Shlomo Zalman
Sonnenfeld, <i>Guardian of Jerusalem,</i> pp. 324-5</span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn29" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref29" name="_ftn29" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn29;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[29]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> R' Shlomo Zalman
Sonnenfeld, <i>Guardian of Jerusalem,</i> p. 326. R' <span style="color: #222222;">Avraham
Yeshaya Karelitz (1878-1953)</span></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn30" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref30" name="_ftn30" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn30;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[30]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> Ben Ami as
interviewed by Sara Soester. A Jew Returns Home, pp. 75-6.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn31" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c345bfd0ccf99b65/Writing/Kashkin_The%20Language%20of%20the%20Torah%20and%20Torah%20Observance%20_2023_9_15.docx#_ftnref31" name="_ftn31" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn31;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[31]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> <span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">Professor Adam Ferziger, “Between East and West Israeli Religious
Zionism and American Modern Orthodoxy,” 9:06, </span></span><a href="https://www.torahinmotion.org/podcast/between-east-and-west-israeli-religious-zionism-and-american-modern-orthodoxy"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Audio lecture at Torah In Motion</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-themecolor: text1;">,
<www.TorahInMotion.org>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-79265574947930121712023-09-05T20:18:00.001+03:002023-09-05T20:18:08.857+03:00God alone<p> It is neither riches nor property – and certainly not man’s talents, of which he is so proud – that are gods who make his life more secure. It is God alone, God Who sustains even in booths those who surrender themselves to Him in complete faithfulness. Remember, then, to thank God alone for your wealth, your distinction, your treasures; for you possess these only so long as God wills it. (Horeb 224)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-86920083112748323542023-07-06T08:23:00.006+03:002023-07-06T08:26:07.276+03:00beatitude in this world<p> <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373731">Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch on Pinchas: G-d wants us to be happy | ערוץ 7 (israelnationalnews.com)</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch on Pinchas: G-d wants us to be happy</p><p>The Torah calls for joy and serenity – in this world. A “suffering servant” is not the Jewish ideal.</p><p>by Dr. Elliot Resnick</p><p><br /></p><p>“Judaism leaves other disciplines to teach that by renunciation of this world one wins the next world. It reserves for itself the teaching that by a life of G-d-acknowledging duty one can attain beatitude in this world; life in the next world can begin here in this one.”</p><p>So writes Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch in relation to Sukkot – the “most joyful of all the Jewish festivals” – on this week’s parshah.</p><p><br /></p><p>We tend to ascribe great importance to Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur, but both of these serious days last a mere 24 hours (according to Torah law, although Rosh Hashannah is celebrated for two days ). In contrast, Sukkot – to which Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur are merely preparatory – lasts seven days during which we’re supposed to “rejoice before Hashem” (Leviticus 23:40).</p><p><a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373731" target="_blank">continue</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-7807126843620979402023-04-23T00:31:00.001+03:002023-04-23T00:31:37.476+03:00Rabbi Shimshon.R.Hirsch: Why Is childbirth associated with impurity?<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370318">Rabbi Shimshon.R.Hirsch: Why Is childbirth associated with impurity? | <span lang="HE" dir="RTL" style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">ערוץ 7</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> (israelnationalnews.com)</a><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8233624608324716679.post-84175578652714404092023-04-19T10:12:00.003+03:002023-04-19T10:12:59.043+03:00a FULL chair<p> A woman once wrote a letter to the Lubavitcher rebbe, she wanted to add another empty chair at the Seder table —in memorial of the victims of the Holocaust, in order to educate her children. The Rebbe replied to her: "Don't add a empty chair. Add a FULL chair. Bring another Jew to sit the table with you!" Our victory and revenge is to have another Jew in the world —another Jew who feels Jewish, who is proud, whose ways of life will be more Jewish. This is our real victory!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0