A number of people sent me this superb article by Rabbi Berel Wein. It seems as though pretty much everyone has seen it already, but in case you haven't, here it is.
THE TRUTH OF SATIRE
There is a wickedly funny and enormously sad piece of satire making the rounds
about a “Lithuanian” charedi father attempting to explain to his inquisitive
child the story of the Hasmoneans and their triumph over the Greeks. On the one
hand the Hasmoneans were staunch “Lithuanian “charedim who learned all day,
while on the other hand they apparently had weapons, organized an army that they
themselves led in actual warfare against the Greeks.
They also engaged in
commerce and agriculture, albeit always wearing only white shirts. And,
apparently, they wanted to establish an independent Jewish state in the Land of
Israel. The child realizes the enormous disconnect between the traditional story
of Chanuka and the Hasmoneans and what he has been taught at home, in school and
amongst his peers about the country and society he currently lives
in.
The father admits to himself the existence of this savage disconnect
with reality and the Chanuka story, but says one may not state so publicly lest
one be accused of being a Zionist.
Here, as in all good satire, there
exists more than a bit of exaggeration. But, there is no doubt that more than a
kernel of truth also exists in this fictitious conversation. The charedi world
in the main, especially the “Lithuanian” branch (with whom I identify myself as
belonging to) has yet to come to grips with the realities of today. It is still
fighting the battle of the nineteenth century against secular Zionism, a battle
long ago ended and not relevant any longer in today’s Jewish world.
Part
of the problem is changing this mindset of complete disconnect with reality. We
have grown so comfortable over the past centuries of Jewish life as being the
persecuted victim, that we are frightened to shuck off that protective mantle.
We see the world in black and white colors only – the good guys and the
villains. There is no room for nuance or moderation in such a
worldview.
If we are involved in rabbinic scandal, financial misdeeds,
abusive physical and sexual behavior, violence against police, corrupt elections
(and those elected thereby) and are caught by the authorities for so doing, the
immediate knee-jerk reaction is that we are being persecuted because of our
religious practices, different dress, traditional lifestyle and distinct
societal mores.
Somehow we have forgotten that idleness, poverty and a
persecution complex all are, in the long run, self-destructive conditions. These
were the conditions that secularized much of Ashkenazic Jewry over the past
three centuries. Eventually a system built on declining governmental welfare
allotments and unending charity from others - a system decried by Maimonides and
other great rabbinic sages and religious leaders throughout the ages – is a
Ponzi scheme that inexorably will collapse of its own weight.
And we are
ill served by religious political leaders and the handlers of old and revered
great Torah scholars who, for purposes I have never really understood, oppose
any change of the current miserable status quo. And, there is never any plan
advanced to help rescue their adherents from the deepening abyss of poverty and
personal despair.
So, a little clever satire can be a good thing for us.
A good look at the absurdity of some of our societal practices, at the
disconnect with reality, at an educational system that impoverishes its students
for life and stifles creativity and different opinions can only help us in the
long run to advance the cause of Torah in Israel and in the Diaspora!
A
middle-aged person recently came to see me before embarking on a trip to the
United States to raise money to pay for his crushing debts accumulated over the
years that he has not worked. The irony is that he graduated university and is
a qualified engineer and is easily employable. So when I asked him why he
doesn’t go to work instead of undergoing the humiliation of canvassing door to
door in the American winter for a month to receive charity, much of it given
begrudgingly, I sighed deeply at his answer: “I have daughters to marry off and
the husbands they want to marry will not accept daughters of someone who is
working!”
I wanted to answer him harshly: “But they will accept daughters
of someone who begs others for charity!” However, I bit my tongue and wished him
success (?) on his journey. I was impotently outraged all day at how this type
of mindset has corrupted such a wonderful people. Perhaps we need more satire to
have the truth of the situation sink into our society.
Shabat
shalom
Berel Wein
Exploring the legacy of the rationalist Rishonim (medieval Torah scholars), and various other notes, by Rabbi Dr. Natan Slifkin, director of The Biblical Museum of Natural History in Beit Shemesh. The views expressed here are those of the author, not the institution.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
14 comments:
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The sad thing about this article is that we find ourselves impressed by it. We've reached the point where if a respected Torah figure says something so obvious as we have to prepare our children to be able to support their families, it is impressive and worthy of sending out to all our friends. Very, very sad.
ReplyDelete@ Pashuta Yid. No, the sad thing about it is that whenever somebody who identifies with charedim makes a statement similar to Rabbi Wein's, people like you belittle it instead of commending it. Why should charedim who believe in what Rabbi Wein has written state it publicly? What do we stand to gain? Besides for being shunned by our close-minded brothers, we also get ridiculed by people like you. By belittling Rabbi Wein's statement you only contribute to the silence from the Charedi camp on issues such as these. Perhaps if you would embrace these types of statements with open arms, more Charedim would be willing to open their mouths, and maybe we could help make the world a better place.
ReplyDeleteHave his books been removed from the Yeshiva shelves yet?
ReplyDelete@Yeshivaguy
ReplyDeleteI think you read that post incorrectly. He doesn't find anything wring with Rabbi Wein's position. He simply bemoans the fact that it needs to be said at all.
Frankly, if Charedim actually cared about the Torah they supposedly learn, this discussion wouldn't be taking place.
Yeshivaguy - as another commenter pointed out, you misunderstood my point (which I confess may be my fault for not being clearer). I think it's great Rabbi Wein wrote what he did, and I would love to see more respected figures do the same. I was just bemoaning the fact that something so obvious has become a great chiddush.
ReplyDeleteTo give credit where credit is due: The original satire includes a parallel conversation in a secular Israeli family. It was published by Asaf Wohl on Ynet: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3480761,00.html
ReplyDeletedoes any one know where wein stands on rationalist judaism.
ReplyDeletehe was caught jogging in shorts by rav s.z aurbach. who said something like nu nu. health.
does that mean he is haredi lite ?
he was friendly with moshe dayan and heard his reaction on the death of nasse does that push him over the edge.
@Zeisa - Unfortunately the ynet article returns "You do not have permission to view this article." What is the gist?
ReplyDeleteThere's another link at the beginning of the post.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the idea that the potential chatanim won't accept the daughters of someone who is working. This makes no sense to me. everyone knows that the best bochurim want someone who can give siddur maleh - and that means someone who is working for a living or otherwise has money. where did the father get this idea that the bochurim for his daughters only want a father in law who is also an avreich?
ReplyDeleteAnd we are ill served by religious political leaders and the handlers of old and revered great Torah scholars who, for purposes I have never really understood, oppose any change of the current miserable status quo. And, there is never any plan advanced to help rescue their adherents from the deepening abyss of poverty and personal despair.
ReplyDeleteHere Rabbi Wein is pulling his punches. If we take his comment at face value, the implication is that the blame lies solely with the "political leaders and the handlers".
Where is the evidence that the "old and revered great Torah scholars" want to make ANY changes that will protect their adherents from the "Ponzi scheme that inexorably will collapse of its own weight."
The thing I love about Rabbi Wein is that while some of the kiddies in yeshiva have the usual irrational venomous hatred for him as they do for anyone who thinks differently or isn't part of the "yeshiva world" - nonetheless, none of the major charedi figures or roshei yeshiva ever speak against Rabbi Wein publicly. He commands respect and they wouldn't dare.. Or is it something else? I'm not sure what it is but I really enjoy him.
ReplyDeleteRabbi Wein is an interesting mix of two worlds. I wonder if he is the last generation that will be so. (I hope not.) Will there be black-hatters like him in the next generation?
ReplyDeleteIn what other culture in the world is a person considered to have made it if they don't work, don't have money, live on handouts, and read books all day (the same books over and over again if one is really successful)?
ReplyDeleteWhat a religion! And I am not being sarcastic. It's actually a good thing, since anyone who really wants it can do this, so anyone has a chance to be successful in Judaism, according to this definition of success.