NY Giants Vs. Y.M. Helfgot

A few weeks ago, a customer of mine offered me and a co-worker Giants tickets for this Sundays game. My co-worker jumped at the offer. After checking the calendar I realized that I already had tickets for the Helfgot concert at the Met which will be taking place the same day. So, Giants vs. Helfgot, who shall it be?

If these were Yankee tickets and it was a huge game, I would probably go to the Yankee game. But the fact of the matter is, I am not much of a football fan. I would go to the game if I didn't have anything else to do, but not when it means missing the Helfgot concert. No way.

Problem is, I was planning on attending the concert with my brother. (My wife was not interested. Chazanus, it seems is a male thing.) When my brother heard that I had a ticket to a Giants game that I would not be using, well lemme just say, he's going to the Giants game.

So that leaves me with an extra ticket for the Helfgot concert. No big deal I figured. I have a few other brothers. Surely one of them would want to go to the concert. So I called brother number one.

Me: Hey bro, whats going on?

Bro #1: Not much.

Me: Any plans for Sunday?

Bro #1: You bet.

Me: Well I'm sure that will change after I tell you that I have a ticket for you for the Helfgot concert.

Bro #1: No chance.

Me: Why not. Whats going on?

Bro #1: Are you nuts? There is a HUGE Giants game this Sunday.

Oh well, no big deal. On to Bro #2.

Me: Hey bro, whats going on?

Bro #2: Not much.

Me: Any plans for Sunday?

Bro #2: You bet.

Me: Well I'm sure that will change after I tell you that I have a ticket for you for the Helfgot concert.

Bro #2: No chance.

Me: Why not. Whats going on?

Bro #2: Are you nuts? There is a HUGE Giants game this Sunday.

I tried a few friends. Friend #1 "Who's Helfgot?" Friend #2 "Give me a call back when I'm sixty".

So that leaves me with an extra ticket to a sold out concert.

The Real Issues

This Shabbos we were talking at the table about the situation in Eretz Yisroel and Iran.

Someone said, "You know, Netanyahu is right. It's 1939 again, and Germany is Iran. Unfortunately, Jews haven't learned their lesson. Sure, there are teshuva movements bringing people back, but not nearly enough people are coming back."

I thought about this for awhile.

While I don't disagree with that, I think there's a much bigger problem.

I remember a few weeks ago standing near the Kosel with a group of people. I saw a young Frum man talking animatedly with a group of Christian tourists. I edged closer and listened in. They were heatedly arguing about religion. Judaism is this, Christianity is that, Judaism believes in this, Christianity believes in that, so on and so forth. I waited until the discussion broke up. Then I went over to the man and asked him why he felt it necessary to convince people that we are right and they are wrong. In my words, "Jews don't proselytize. What's the point?" He replied, "We are supposed to be a light unto the nations. We should show them what the right way is." I strongly disagreed with him. I said, "Being a light unto the nations means to lead by example, that people should look up to us by the way we live." It doesn't mean to go out and try to convince the world that we are right. Our job in this world is to do what halacha requires of us, to do what we're supposed to do. When we do that, we will be a light unto the nations.

It's not our fault that Jews grow up in different parts of the world without knowing their history, heritage or religion, but it may be our fault that they don't come back. What is the perception that an irreligious Jew has of Frum yiddishkeit? Only what they see and hear.

And what do they see and hear?

This scandal, that scandal. Violent disagreements. This group in court feuding with that group. Again and again. Publicly. Mobs of people violently protesting in Yerushalayim. Destroying city property and physically assaulting policemen. I'm not arguing if the cause is just or unjust, I'm just talking about the way things are done and looked at. Of course the media just loves to play these things up as much as possible, and that only strengthens the outside perception. But it is our people doing it to begin with.

Obviously this is only a small amount of people, but it's enough to create the perception. When the shining jewel of yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel deteriorates into violent skirmishes, what is an outsider to think of yeshivos and those that study there? When those who are called ultra-Orthodox (whatever that means) spend their time squabbling in the courts and worse, what are outsiders to think of us? When the schools who educate our children use government programs improperly, what are outsiders to think? When individuals get plastered on the front pages for finanical impropriety, what are outsiders to think of us?

We are supposed to be a light unto the nations of the world and yet we aren't even a light to our own nation.

Not everyone can be involved in Kiruv, but we can all be involved in helping Kiruv work. And we should certainly not be involved in making sure it doesn't.

2 Kislev

In Lakewood too long?

Top ten fifteen signs that you've lived in Lakewood too long:

1. You refer to shopping on Clifton Avenue as "going to town".

2. You call Bais Eliyahu "the trailers".

3. You remember what used to stand on the parking lot between Yeshiva and the Legion.

4. You went to school in the Legion.

5. You remember what lies beneath the painted over mural on the Irv.

6. You bought pizza from the pizza truck.

7. You swam at the Y.

8. You attended simchos in The Simcha Room.

9. You remember the Holiday Inn.

10. You once didn't know what a townhouse was.

11. You shopped at the Co-op on Forest and Ninth.

12. You remember when Shloimy's was ShopRite and ShopRite was Shelby's.

13. You remember when Jamesway wasn't Yeshiva's warehouse.

14. You remember creeping down a dark rickety wooden staircase to toivel a pot.

15. You know who Chaim Yukel was.

Feel free to add to this list.

Leaderless?

Our good friend over at Yeshivaworld posted a link to some of pashkvilim that were hung in Yerushalayim. One of them quite clearly calls for continued protests and bears the signature of Rav Elyashiv (amongst others). So I guess that settles it. Rav Elyashiv has paskened that the demonstrations must go on. Right?

Not so quick.

Jak Black of Mishmar writes :

I spoke to a friend of mine who had just come from a gathering of Rav Elyashiv's students. He heard the following firsthand:

A bochur asked: Should we protest?

Rav Elyashiv answered: Of course. You should turn to your chavrusah and say, "I protest." And your chavrusah should turn to you and say, "I protest." Then, the two of you should get back to learning.

The bochur then asked: What about Friday [the day of the Parade]?

Rav Elyashiv answered: You should get ready for Shabbos.

So, you might ask, as I did, what about the signs that bear Rav Elayashiv's signature?

Jak writes :

Rav Elyashiv was quoted today saying that those signs were blatant lies, and that "the one who put them up was looking for a way to justify his bitul Torah."

It appears to me the no one knows for sure what the Gedolim hold. Do they want bochrim and kollel yungerleit protesting? To they want other protesting? Do they want only non-violent protest? If so, who should be participating? How often?

We are blessed to have many Gedolim living in our generation, but if we have no way of knowing what their true opinions are, are we not essentially leaderless?

Pride Parade Thoughts

Some thoughts on the parade and the associated violence:

I fully understand that a gay lifestyle is prohibited by the Torah.

I fully understand the that when people publicly flaunt their complete disregard for the Ratzon Hashem, the result is a Chillul Hashem.

I fully understand that if G-d fearing people ignore the tremendous Chillul Hashem and allow it to go on without uttering a sound, they too are a part of the resulting Chillul Hashem. Live and let live is NOT a Torah value.

I fully understand that the legal system in Israel does not look kindly at the Chareidim and there is no hope of stopping the parade through legal channels.

I fully understand that there are times and circumstances that call for extra legal activities and if there ever was such a time this is it.

I fully understand that civil disobedience is a valid means for a citizenry to express their dissatisfaction.

I fully understand that the police in Israel, for the most part, don't like Chareidim and use extreme violence against them at any opportunity.


WHAT I DON'T BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND IS WHAT CAUSE IS SERVED BY INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE FEATUREING CHAREIDIM THROWING STONES, CANNED FRUIT AND ASSORTED OTHER PROJECTILES FROM ROOFTOPS DOWN AT THE POLICE BELOW.

WHAT I DON'T BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND IS HOW THESE IMAGES WILL LEAD ANYONE TO SAY "ASHREI AVIV SHELOMDO TORAH, ASHREI RABBO SHELOMDO TORAH".

WHAT I DON'T BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND IS HOW THE CHILLUL HASHEM OF CHAREIDIM INJURING POLICEMEN IS ANY BETTER THAN THE CHILLUL HASHEM THAT THE PARADE WILL BE.

WHAT I DON'T BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND IS WHY THE LEADERSHIP DOES NOT FORCEFULLY CONDEMN THE ACTIVITIES OF THOSE WHO ARE HURTING THE CHAREIDI CAUSE.

Photographic Memories

I think I have a half decent memory (for things that I want to remember), but people like this are in a league of their own.

As heard from R. Yisroel Reisman who heard it from a friend of his who witnessed it.

Rav Ben Zion Abba Shaul and Rav Ovadyah Yosef visited Antwerp together on a fund raising mission. After speaking at a public gathering they were being escorted by Rav Chaim Kreithwirth . Rav Kreiswirth asked Rav Ben Zion Abba Shaul about the source of his [sur?]name, Abba Shaul. He responded that it was after the Ammora by that same name. Rav Ovadyah Yosef proceeded to cite the first statement in the Talmud made by Abba Shaul (the Ammora). Rav Kreithwirth responded with the next statement and Rav Ovadyah countered with the next. This went on until they completed Maseches Brachos and most of the way through Maseches Shabbos, until they reached Shabbos 119. Rav Ovadyah cited a statement of Abba Shaul from that page to which Rav Kreiswirth responded, "See the Rashash there who claims that that statement was not really made by Abba Shaul but by another Ammora".

Any Bar Ilan owners out there, can you check how many times Abba Shaul does appear before Shabbos 119.