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THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN 0021-6615is published monthly, except July and August, by the Agudath Israel. of. America, 5 Beekman Street, New York.N.Y. 10038. Second class postage paid at New York. N.Y. Subscription $15.00 .per year: two years. $27.00; three years. $36.00. Outside of the United States (US fUnds only) $20.00. $25.00 in So. Africa and other Pacific countries. Single copy: $2.00; foreign: .$2.50. Send address changes to The Jewish Observer. 5 Beekman St .. N.Y .. N. Y. I 0038. Printed in the U.S.A.

RABBI NISSON WOLPIN Editor

Editorial Board DR. ERNST BODENHEIMER _Chairman RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS JOSEPH FruEDENSON RABB1 NossoN.scHERMAN RABBI MOSHE SHERER Management Board NAFTOLI HIRSCH !SMC KIRZNER RABBI SHLOMO LESil'i NACHUM STEIN

Business_ Mariager RABBI YOSEF.C. GOLDING

THE JEWISH 0BSERVERd6es not asstlme res,o_n,sibility ,for: the Kashrusorany-ptOl:luct or servtce advertised !rt its pages. ©Copyright 1985

ocL 85. VOL. xvm No .. 9

THE6WISH ltJSERVER

In This Issue ...

Religion in the Public Arena: How Do We Best Protect Our Interests?

4 Beware of Your "Friends," Rabbi Ber el Wein 5 Walk the Tightrope, Dr. Aaron Twerski

11 Notes From a Jewish Lobbyist: The View frc1m California, Dr. Irving Lebovic

13 The Out-of-Towners: A Personal Narrative, Emmy Stark Zitter 19 Succos: The Encounter Between Judgment and Joy,

Shimon Finkelman

25 The Old Man C

Religion in the How Do We Best

"Beware of Your 'Friends'," says Rabbi Berl Wein

IGNORE THE NON-STARTERS

T he issue of religion and its proper place in American public life is a most sensitive one. And for the Jewish community in this coun-try it may be even more sensitive and important tban for other segments of our pluralistic society. History has taught us that the Jews always have much to lose in a climate of religious fanaticism. And, tberefore, I wish to ad-dress myself to this problem with cau-tion and, I hope, insight.

1 do not intend to discuss what Is good for America. I do intend to express my opinion as to what is good for the Jewish community in America. In practice, I believe tbat tbe particular in-terests of tbe Jewish community and tbat of America generally coincide. But that is not the thesis of my presentation.

*These written presentations are based on a symposium held last year at the 62nd National Convention of Agudath Is-rael of America.

Rabbi Wein, ofMonsey, N. Y., is dean ofShaarei Torah of Rockland County and the Bas Torah Academy, as well as Rav of the Congregation Bais Torah in the same community.

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I must open with a caveat, ''I am not a navi {prophet). nor a ben navi {a nov· ice prophet)." 1 do not know what the morrow brings for the Jewish commu· nlty in this country. And I am quite aware of tbe futility of predictions as far as the Jewish people and its fate Is con-cerned. But there are issues that should be raised, and not raised merely by the devil's advocate {which I am not), but that on their own, deserve careful thought and consideration. This is an enormously complex problem and it will not brook simplistic solutions.

Firstiy, I believe that Jewish organi-zations should have a low profile on is-sues that are not truly vital to our sur-vival. Jewish individuals will and should continue to speak out on those issues. But I feel that we have to be enormously cautious in our organiza· tional position on issues of the day. We have to be selective as to what issues are truly vital to us and as to those is-sues which superficially appear to be of interest to us as religious people. For in-stance. gay rights, the ERA amend-ment and support of Israel are issues that affect our very survival and life style. Prayer in public schools. text-book revision, creches and Nativity

(continued on page 6)

The Jewish Observer/October, 1985

Public Arena Protect Our Interests?

"Walk the Tightrope," says Dr. Aaron Twerski

W hen I was a youngster shortly after my Bar Mitzva, I was privileged to have as my rebbe Rav Nochem Zaks, '"1. My twin brother and I were his pet talmi-dim. There was little that we could do wrong. 1 recall that when either of us asked a particularly good kushya, he would answer in his inimitable style, ''Twerski, you're one hundred percent right, but I'll show you where you're wrong." His words come back to me now. Rabbi Wein is one-hundred-percent right...but I think that he has missed the key issue and is thus very wrong.

First, let me indicate where he is right. The evangelicals and some of the radical right groups are not our friends. They are self-righteous ideologues and much of their religiosity is shot through with classical, virulent anti-Semitism. They do make uncomfortable bedfel-lows for us. Rabbi Wein is also quite correct when he says that prayer in the public schools is a non- issue for Ortho-dox Jews. Partisan religious prayer is

Dr. Twerski, professoroflaw in Hofstra Univer-sity and Chairman of Agudath Israel of America's Commission on Legislation and Civic Action, is author of numerous books and articles on the law of torts and product liability.


LIBERTY

certain to be Christian prayer and thus clearly unacceptable. "To Whom it May Concern" prayer is hardly a teftlla worth fighting for. Either way we come out losers. Finally, Rabbi Wein cor-rectly observes that we must carefully husband our precious human resources and devote them to matters offirst·line importance. It is not that we are short on talent. We are. however, very short on people who are prepared to share their G- ct-given talents with Kial Yisroel. Taking that fact as a given, we must pick and choose our battles.

Where, then, has Rabbi Wein gone wrong? I suggest that he has made several fundamental errors:

(I) He has written off the liberal left as a significant threat to the continued viability of Torah-centered communi-ties. We are, he claims, fighting a defeated enemy. Because he has, in my opinion, miscast the enemy and mis-conceived the issues, he has pronouonced a premature Kaddish over them.

(2) He has made light of the issue of government aid to religious com-munities.

(3) He has exaggerated the danger of right-wing anti- Semitism.

(continued on page 8)

5

"Beware of Your 'Friends'," says Rabbi Berl Wein

(continued from page 4)

scenes, tuition tax credits, are not vital Jewish issues.

Promoting prayer in the public schools is to me a non-starter issue as far as Jews are concerned. What prayer? Whose prayer? Prayer for Whom and to Whom? Until those quesitons are defined it is really not our issue. I don't know what prayer is going to be allowed, if any at all, but I am con-vinced that it will not be our prayer. The Moetzes GedoleiHaTorah passed on the matter of a particular form of a prayer that perhaps would be accepta-ble to Jews. But that formulation of prayer has not been accepted by any -one else as of yet. And. therefore, I think the issue of promoting prayer is prema-ture, if not ultimately irrelevant to us.

IDENTIFYING THE THREAT

T he theory of strict separation of church and state has enabled Jews to deal with their educa-tions, careers and aspirations ih this country on a far different plane than they were able to in Europe. The ex-tremism of the liberals, the Left, the irreligious and the anti-religious lob-bies, however, has warped the practical application of that theory. Thus, the current swing to the Right - to relig-ion, if you will - that is apparent in American life, will continue to grow. I am of the opinion, however, that we should not fight battles that are 20 or 30 years old and really passe. On too many fronts. we are always fighting the last war.

Many say that the immediate threat is the liberal Left. We have struggled with them for almost all of the last cen-tury. But I feel that we are witnessing the demise of that struggle. The situa-tion has changed. The ERA did not be-come law, Mrs. Ferraro is not Vice-President. There has not been the change in American society that the liberal Left hoped to see. If this sympo-sium would have taken place in the !960'sor70's, there is no question that we would all agree with ProfessorTwer-ski' s position that the Left is the greater and more immediate threat.

Professor Twerski has stated that he cannot be concerned for problems 30 or 40 years in the future - about the in-fluence of religious fundamentalism

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Orthodox Jewry could pick up the tab on the entire

government.fund-ing of yeshiva

education without canceling one

vacation.

then. He wants only to build for today - to deal with today's problems ... he is a "golus Yid." I've noticed the way Jews build homes in this country; they evidently expect to be around in Bora Park and Monsey 30 or 40 years hence, and therefore I feel that we have to deal with the long-range threats as well. And the religious Right, the Christian fun-damentalist evangelicals are certainly a long-range threat to us.

A RELIGIOUS AMERICA IS A CHRISTIAN AMERICA

I do not think that anyone will seri-ously question the wisdom of strict separation of church and state in the general society as having a positive impact on the Jewish community. We are a small minority in an overwhelm-ingly Christian culture. A more reli-gious society will mean a more Chris-tian society. Are we really ready to return to such a situation? Will our alienated, Torah-ignorant. dissatisfied youth be able to stand up to the Evan-gelicals' pressure? Is not no prayer in the schools better than non-Jewish prayer in the schools?

This is a lesson that we have to as-similate within ourselves. We have to realize that because we live in a society

that is spiritually empty, the Chris-tians, the Evangelicals, the mission-aries who have almost unlimited funds that they will pour - and are pouring - into a campaign to capture Jewish souls, the danger to us is great. And the moral climate, so to speak, that will be created by stronger Christian in-fluences in our society will have, in my opinion, a devastating effect upon great sections of the Jewish people who could still be reached - and in small measure. in fact, are being reached -by us.

A famous German-Jewish philoso-pher related how when he was growing up in pre-World War II Berlin, his father came to the headmaster of the school he was attending to plead that his son be excused from singing Christian songs. The headmaster agreed to com-promise. No words need be recited but the melody had to be sung. Our ex-perience in this generation has taught us that even the melody cannot be sung by us.

The Gemora in Avoda Zara (Sa) quotes Rabbi Yishmoel as saying that Jews who live in chutz la'aretz are pa-gans, albeit unwittingly. How so? A non-Jew, a pagan, makes a banquet for his son and he invites all of his Jewish friends to come and participate; even though it may be 100% glatt kosher -they bring their own walters, they bring their own mashgiach - the pasuk considers it as though he had eaten from avoda zara (Shemos 34, 15). To this Rashi says that the perpetrator surely does not intend to eat from avoda zara; no one intends to be in-fluenced by paganism. But Yisroel in chutz la 'aretz, in a non- Jewish en-vironment, cannot afford the luxury of free intermingling. It is a situation that will inevitably develop within the Jew-ish people should they drop their guard, and willmakeagreatelementof Klal Yisroe1, 1"n be guilty of"paganism in purity."

RELIGION MAKES STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

T here is yet a second point I wish to address, and that is, who are our allies in this struggle to "bring America back to religion"? What type of person is pushing this vi-sion? Let me repeat a number of quotes from these people who are all pro-Israel, who all respect and love the Jews, and who wish to make a moral society in this country.


-- - _.-

The Rev. Jerry Falwell says the Jew-ish people are going to Hell. they are un-worthy of redemption, and therefore condemned. And therefore we can un-derstand. he says, how the Holocaust happened. We Jews earned it the old-fashioned way.

In his sefer, MinHameizar, Rabbi Weissmandl relates a conversation that he had with President Tiso of Slovakia. Rabbi Weissmandl asked him for Jew-ish children - there was a transport of 3,000 Jewish children about to leave to their deaths - he asked that the chil-dren under six be freed. ''They are in-nocent." Answered Tiso: "There is no innocent Jewish child.''

"Non-Christians can never under-stand spilitual things."

"G-d does not hear the prayers of Jews."

'·Anti-Semitism is hating the Jew more than one is supoosed to."

These are but a few of the quotes of the leaders of the religious right.

The support of the Evangelicals for the State of Israel is paper-thin. because they have a different State of Israel in mind from the one that exists: from the one that we hope will exist. They have in mind a State of Israel that, 1"n, will convert entirely to Christianity. They envision a State of Israel that is neces· sary for the coming of their Messiah. And if it does not materialize that way. they will not be in favor of the State ofls· rael that does remain. They are not our frtends. Why should we help them? Why should we join them?Whyshould we be connected with them?

THE POLISH PRECEDENT

W e went through this in a like fashion in pre·war Poland, and again I agree that historic comparisons may not really be fair because no one now knows the cir· cumstances that prevailed in Poland al· most 50yearsago. Ourpresent·daycir· cumstances are certainly not identical. It is wrong for us to criticize those who made decisions then. We operate with perfect hindsight. But. nevertheless, 50 years ago in Poland, in the struggle that existed for the Jewish vote in the Polish Parliament, the right·wing Conserva· live Catholic parties headed by the dic-tator Pilsudski made a strong appeal to religious Jewry on the basis of religion versus the atheistic Left. Most of reli· gious Jewry cooperated with them. They helped form the coalition in the Parliament on behalf of these parties.

The Jewish Observer/October. 1985

Can we be allies with a group that

preaches that ••non-Christians can never under-stand spiritual

things"? And they were eventually rewarded with a ban on shechita.

Banning shechita did not affect the Bund, it did not affect the secular Zi-onists, it did not affect the irreligious Jews. It was, however, a body blow to religious Jewry- it was the beginning of the end, in retrospect. of Polish Jewry. Under this reign, Jews were taken off the streetcars and trains of Po-land and beaten. A public climate had been created that allowed these atroci· lies to happen. And we know the end of the story - that 3 1/2 million Polish Jews went to their deaths.

That can only happen in a country that is willing to allow it to happen. Seven thousand Jews in Denmark were saved from the Nazis because the people of Denmark were not willing to allow them to be exterminated. But in Poland a climate was created. True, the climate was easily fostered, based upon centuries of religious hatred, upon mil· lions of sermons blaming the Jews for everything. on bigoted religious convic· tion. One may add that it's not for noth· ing that in Poland today the bakeries and food shops are empty - that the Poles live a tortured existence.

STRONGER PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

A re we better off with a larger at-tendance in Christian religious schools in this country or in the public schools? Are we betteroffhaving

schools that do not teach open anti-semitism rather than schools that do advocate religious anti·Semitism and which will receive government tax ex· emption and will be led by people who make public statements such as those quoted above?

If these people speak for Amelica's tomorrow, and if that is their vision of America, then why should we help them? If they are going to be successful, I cannot imagine why we should re-main in this country. Anti·Semitism has always been associated with an in· tensive fanaticism. The Greeks, the Ro· mans, Islam. Christianity - all have preached religious hatred against us. The Talmud associates sina - hatred for Jews - with Sinai. The sina begins at Sinai. It begins with the Jewish mis-sion. It begins with Torah. That is what has prompted the enmity. Hitler and Stalin. both of whom were fiercely anti-religious, and were not in any way to be considered Chrtstians. nevertheless fed upon a climate that Christianity created in their countries over the millennia. "Holy Russia" still exists to-day. To be sure, the Communists did not create it, but they are expert at ex· plaiting it. Russia is no more a purely secular society today than it ever was. And Hitler could not have destroyed the Jews without the cooperation and silence of the religious leaders of Ger· many and most of the entire western world. The climate that is created in this country by religious pressure - I think that is what we should be in-terested in.

A COMMUNITY OF LIMITED MEANS

F inally, Orthodoxy has limited means. Rabbi Sherer's exper· tise and achievements notwith· standing. we still have only one Rabbi Sherer. Anyone who has had the joy of raising funds for yesbivos knows that we are dealing with limited means. Were it not for those who have a streak of insanity. the Rambam says, there would be nothing creative happening in the Jewish world. G-d sees to it that we have enough "meshugaim," but we don't have a surplus of "meshugaim."

We have so much to do. We have to rebuild the House oflsrael. I would sug-gest that there are other people in this country to fight the battie, both pro and con, on the issue of religion in public life. But I don't know anyone else in this

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country who is interested in opening a synagogue in a small Jewish commu-nity that does not now have an Ortho-dox synagogue; who is interested in building high schools for boys and for girls in a community that does not have such schools; who is interested in reaching Jewish souls on the campus and in the professional world. We are very, very thin in resources; every dol-lar and every moment that we divert to other causes is a dollar and a moment that is not spent upon ourselves. In my years in the rabbinate, the chief com-plaint that I have heard from laymen over the years regarding their personal lives is that they have no time for their families.

And the same is true organization-ally. And the same is true with the Jew-ish world generally. We have to build ourselves. No one else will do it for us.

It has been mentioned that we have

"Walk the Tightrope," says Dr. Aaron Twerski (contlnuedfrom page 5)

(4) He has deemed the conservative right unworthy allies to assist us in the socio-political battles that must be waged.

DEFINING THE DANGER IDENTIFYING THE ENEMY

T he danger to Orthodox Jewish communities in the America of the 80's does not come from wild-eyed Marxists, Peaceniks. or rad-ical socialists. Those who would fron-tally assault organized religion and de-ride their leadership have no political standing in this country. Our enemies today are nice- guys. They are not the Madeline Murrays or the Leo Pf effers of yesteryear. They do not seek to label Orthodox Jews, catholics and evangel-icals as enemies of democracy. ''Live and let live" is their motto .

Our modem-day enemies have a different agenda. It is basically neutral (better yet, sympathetic) to religion. But, in its fully articulated form it is an-tithetical to our continued existence. The danger today comes from unbri-dled, unthinking, across-the-board egalitarianism. The thesis is simple. Government (in any. form) cannot be utilized to perpetuate or support the denial of civil rights. Those matters that

8

a great deal of government funds that come our way. That is true. And I be-lieve.in my naivete. that even if 1"n ev-ery dollar of government money stopped coming our way, there is still enough Orthodox Jewish money in the United States to finance all of our yeshivos. And 1 always add the extra line (which maybe 1 shouldn't) that I

Prayer in public schools, textbook revision, creches

and Nativity scenes are not vi-tal Jewish issues.

in their view qualify as "rights ... and those who are entitled to them, strike at the heart of the ethical structure of re-ligious communities. It matters little to the New Egalitarianists that the ine-quality they perceive is predicated on religious norms that are thousands of years old and are an integral part of our community structure. If the discrimi-nation strikes them as unfair. they de-mand that it should either be declared unconstitutional or legislated out of ex-istence. If religious communities are destroyed in the wake of egalitarian-ism, that is simply too bad, they main-tain. The New Egalitarianists do not wish us bad. If they could put us off in a corner and let us be - they would probably agree to do so. But their agenda ls national if not international in scope. They cannot and will not fash-ion exceptions to permit us continued viability. Frankly. if they were to do so we would still be subject to eventual ex-tinction, for ultimately we would be

don't think anyone would have to give up their vacation because of it either.

In summation, I wish to repeat words that a recent presidential candidate spoke. words that I think speak to our issue. "A yearning for traditional values is not a simple matter. It is not a tie that is unbroken. It has undertones. And in the hands of those who would exploit it, this legitimate hope for moral strength can become a force of social divisiveness and hatred and a threatto individual freedom. The truth is, the answer to a weaker family is not a stronger state. It is a stronger moral value system. The answer to lax morals is not legislative morals. It is a deeper faith. It is greater discipline. It is per-sonal excellence.''

I think these words speak to us as well and to our task of fulfilling our des-tiny of proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven here, on Earth. Ill

cast in the role of medieval relics who would not be worthy of the grace of government approval. Thus, we are in a fight for our very lives. The enemy is deadly precisely because it is not anti-religious in nature. Religion, ethics, cul-ture, community - all must be sacrificed on the altar of Perfect Egalitarianism.

THE RAPE OF COMMUNITY VALUES

T he threat is real. The danger is present. The time is now. The enemies are our friends. Deviant behavior is not a Jewish

problem - at least not one that has serious practical ramifications for Or-thodox Jewish communities. But New York City Mayor's Executive Order 50 was a serious issue. He sought to bar Catholic, Protestant and Jewish social service agencies from participating in contracts with the City of New York un-less they formally eschewed discrimi-nation based on sexual orientation. The issue was not {as Rabbi Wein has inti-mated) the desire of the Orthodox Jew-ish community to legislate morality. The problem was that the Mayor sought to impose a popular view of egalitarianism on a community to whom the conduct is viewed as reli-giously loathsome. No lesser authority than the editorialists of The New York Times questioned why religion should


be concerned with so "secular" an is-sue. Why, it was just as plain as the nose on your face. If you can't dis-criminate on the basis of race then how someone conducts his sexual life is similarly no matter for any employer to consider. The First Department. Apel-Iate Division agreed. Their argument (ultimately repudiated by the New York Court of Appeals) was simply stated. If the government cannot discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation nei-ther may those with whom the govern-ment contracts.

Now that the case has been won be-fore the State's highest court. the battle will shift to the City Council. The argu-ment will be the same. No government largesse should be granted to those who do not meet popular egalitarian standards. Thus, government social service contracts are not the only potential targets. Government involve-ment with religious communities touches such areas as tax deductions, tax exemptions, licensing for schools, lunches for impoverished children, textbooks. and school busing. All can and will be fair game in future legisla-tive battles.

DO NOT "YODERIZE" THE ORTHODOX

I do not mean to suggest that we will be actually legislated out of exis-tence. The free exercise clause of the First Amendment grants signifi-cant protection of religious educational institutions. The famous Yoder casein which the United States Supreme Court recognized the right of the Amish community to operate a high school system free from substantial govern-ment regulation gives expression to the rights ofreligious communities to edu-cate children based on a very" offbeat" value system. But only our worst ene-mies would Yoderize us. Torah Jews have never gone off in a comer and re-fused contact with the world of com-merce and politics. We must be both in

and out of the secular world. Yeshivos do have accredited secular programs that are the match of (indeed. superior to) public educational institutions. And as I shall demonstrate. the need for funding community-support and -educational programs is no luxury that can be discarded by simply asking the state to walk away and leave us alone.

We may be a talented people, but how many of us are ready to share our G-d-

given talents with Klal Yis,roel? ... That's why

we must pick our battles with care.

Nor is the issue limited to discrimina-tion based on sexual preference or lifestyle. Lest we forget. we do operate a sex- separated religious school sys-tem. The separation begins at the pre-school age and is not limited to religious subjects alone. It applies to the entire secular progam as well. And that puts us at war with one of the most potent forces in American political life - the Women's Liberation Movement. This is not the place to discuss the role of the woman in Torah life. I believe that the Torah created the charter for true Women's Liberation. Role differentia-tion within the Torah does not serve as a tool to promote male chauvinism. That is a topic for a different forum. But one thing is certain. The National Or-ganization for Women (NOW) will give no quarter to those whom they believe to be the enemy. And we are targeted.

Rabbi Wein tosses off the threatim-posed by this form of egalitarianism with the remark that Geraldine Ferraro was not elected vice-president and that ERA was defeated. In my opinion this assessment so sells short the egalitari· anists that it might be considered na-ive. Does anyone have any doubt that if raw political power were not available to restrain the feminists. that schools that prohibited mixed classes. estab-lished separate curricula for boys and girls. taught that "reproductive free-dom" was sinful, enforced separate seating at religious services and com-munal events, and recognized male-only minyanim, would be shorn of any form of government recognition?

And don't forget the draft. We have. through the grace of G- d, been granted a respite from the military draft. But. should the international situation war-rant a return to involuntary conscrip-tion. it will become a fact oflife. There is no doubt that at the very top of the feminist agenda will be a draft that is gender neutral. For Orthodox Jews. that would be an unspeakable tragedy. It would clearly call forth (as did the women· s draft in Israel) a psak of ye-horeig ve'al ya'avor. Well. then, you say, the problem can be solved by granting Orthodox women conscientious-objector status. This. too. smacks of Yoderization. The cost to the JeWish community of having all its women of eligible service age being defined as conscientious objectors is mind-boggling. It would be an open in-vitation to vicious anti-Semitism in a time of national crtsis. It is truly un-thinkable.

GOVERNMENT AID TO RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

R abbi Wein sees no great threat in loss of state and federal aid to religious communities. This view is simply incorrect. First. as I have already demonstrated, the issue is not

PLEASE, OH, PLEASE, DON'T LET 1-iER CALL ON ME! !'LL 5TUO\' HARD TONIGHT IF l{OU JUST, PLEASE, DON'T LET 1-lER CALL ON ME ltJDM ...

I THOUGHT PRA'1'1N6 IN 5CHOOL HAD BEEN BANNED

THIS KIND WILL ALIJA'l'G BE WITH U5, FRANKLIN!

@ 197• BY UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE, INC.

The Jewish Observer/October. 1985 9

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just aid in the form of outright grants. Tax deductions and exemptions are a form of financial assistance to religious schools and community institutions. I refer Rabbi Wein to the Bob Jones case decided last year by the United States Supreme Court for the proposition that tax exemptions for religious institu-tions are not sacrosanct. They can fall when they conflict with highly valued egalitartan principles.

Even if the tax deductions and ex-emptions remained untouched, there would still remain the question of government contracts and direct government aid to our institutions. Our communities are not income poor. But thousands of our families are "family size·· poor. The halachic limitations on the practice of birth control have resulted In large families ranging from four to fifteen children (kein yirbu). Much of the aid that government dis-penses must be funnelled through so-cial service agencies that are in tune with the physical. emotional and cul-tural needs of those who are to be their beneficiaries. Lunch programs in schools are not luxuries which the com-munities can do without. Health care programs must be organized so that they can deliver the services in a man-ner that will be acceptable to those who need them. Community development agencies must take into account the lifestyles of those who must live in the housing that they establish. Senior citizens must be serviced in a way that does not denigrate from their self-worth as human beings. Physically and men-tally handicapped children must be cared for in a way that does not violate the precious souls that G-d implanted In their bodies. These all require direct forms of government aid which we can-not forfeit if we are to function as com-munities.

WHO ARE OUR ALLIES?

We now come to the sixty-four dollar question. With whom shall we make common cause? Can we join with the radical right? Dare we strengthen them at the ballot box, or by siding with them on important issues, provide them with undeserved respectability?

The answer is not simple. It would be far preferable if political figures who had solid liberal credentials would be-gin to perceive that the issues described in this article are deserving of recogni-

JO

Their motto is "Live and let live,"

and they consti-tute our most

serious danger.

lion. We shall have to insist that elected officials who represent us at all levels of government be sensitive to the fact that If they press their liberal egalitarian agenda to the extreme. they will de-stroy our communities. I have always been mystified at the dogmatic attitude of the so-called liberal wing of Ameri-can politics. They have been so wrapped up in the language of the "es-tablishment" clause that they have failed to perceive that they have actu-ally threatened the ''free exercise'' of re-ligion. If religious communities with a distinct value system are rendered financially extinct, then the language in the Constitution granting them the "right" to exist will be meaningless. If those who represent us in the halls of government are not prepared to recog-nize our legitimate needs, we shall have to do our best to replace them with those more sympathetic to us.

The more difficult question. though. is how we should relate to the Catholic church, the evangelicals and to the rad-ical right.

First, as to the Catholic church, we have joined together in the past on mat-ters of mutual interest in government affairs. We shall In the future, as in the past, refer such questions to the Moetzes Gedolei Ha Torah. Basically. I find no reason for not joining with the archdiocese on political questions.

The evangelicals and the radical light present a greater problem. It is ob-viously dangerous to make light of any

anti- Semitic pronouncements. Hitler taught us that lesson very well. Nonetheless. for all their rhetoric. they too are faced with a problem similar to ours. Fundamentalist communities seek to retain the moral structure of their own society. If they have sought to legislate morality for the nation. It is be-cause the nation has sought to invade their right to maintain their commu-nity structure. A world that permits abortion on demand is also a world that devalues life in a variety of other ways. A world that permits open pornogra-phy is a world that debases the human spirit. There is little that we can do to stop the fundamentalists from seeking to convert Jews to Christianity. There is much that we can and must do to ren-der that effort unsuccessful. This much is certain. Unless we have healthy, floulishing Jewish communities, we will not have the resources {both hu-man and financial) to resist their efforts. We must be ever vigilant with regard to their political machinations. We have been forced to oppose them on numer-ous issues. Nonetheless, on many is-sues (e.g .. ERA or conscription of women to the military) they may have made the difference.

My own feeling is that we shall have to learn to be uncomfortable and ever-vigilant allies. I believe that the country is not about to be swept away in the moral fervor of evangelism. America likes its comforts too much to grant them all that power. At the same time, they will remain a political force that will checkmate unbridled egalitarian-ism. Thatisnotahalf-badsituation. We can learn to live with it.

CONCLUSION

I have not proposed that we legislate morality for the country. That has never been the agenda of Agudath Israel. But Jews do require the freedom of!iving full. religious lives. It would be nice if all we need ask of government would be to stay off our backs. That, however. is no longer possible. We are taxed, regulated and affected by government in countless ways. If the egalitarian agenda of the liberal estab-lishment becomes offical govern-mental policy for every interaction be-tween government and religion, we shall be driven into the sea. It is for that reason that Rabbi Wein'sview- one-hundred percent right as It may seem - is dead wrong. II


Irving Lebovic

The View From California Notes from a Jewish Lobbyist

SACRAMENTO BOUND

M onday, June 9, 1985, found a number of members of the Agudath Israel of California on a plane from Los Angeles Sacramento bound, to lobby in favor of a bill to protect consumers of Kosher meat. The provisions of the bill were straight· forward: Kosher meat sellers in California would be required to keep

Dr. Lebovics, a practising dentist in Los An-geles. is chairman of Agudath Israel's Commis-sion on Legislation and Civic Action of California.

The Jewish Obseruer/Ociober, 1985

a

all receipts from meat purchases for one year. A pilot program would be in· stituted in Los Angeles County under which inspectors from the California Department of Food and Agriculture would check these receipts against the actual sales. Such a system would de-termine whether the meat came from a source claiming to be Kosher, and hopefully deter the sale of additional meat from other sources.

Our group reviewed the list of Assem-blymen in an effort to determine on whom to concentrate our efforts. Our sources informed us that most Repub-licans opposed the bill but that they

had been misinfOnned as to its con-tents and purpose. We were confident that once we explained our case to the key members of the Assembly, we would succeed in persuading them: af-ter all, the bill was even supported by the secvlar Jewish organizations: Fed-eration, JPAC, ADL and AJC.

A rather disconcerting problem. however. had arisen on the day before ourttip. Assemblyman Richard Robin· son, Democrat from Orange County, in· formed us that he would speak from the Assemblyflooraginst the bill. His posi· tion was that the mere mention of the word "Kosher" was a violation of the doctrine of separation of church and state, and therefore unconstitutional. Our fear was that this could easily re-sult in a mass "no" vote among the liberal Democratic majority in the Assembly.

CON GAMES CAN BE LEGAL

T he implications of Mr. Robin-son's reasoning are rather far-reaching and forboding, in ef-fect making it is legal to run a "con game" if a religious element is in-volved: for individuals who purchase religious articles (i.e. Kisvei Stam - sa-cred parchments such as mezuzot) are not entitled to consumer protection; similarly, someone who falsely labels non-Kosher meat as Kosher is pro-tected from prosecution by the Consti-tution. Now, Robinson is a concerned, sincere, and very effective legislator. His problem with the bill, however. is indicative of a general sentiment that is pervasive in California - not only among legislators, but among organi-zations, spokespeople, civic leaders, and the general public as well: govern-ment should not involve itself in mat-ters even vaguely associated with religion.

Witness the current controversy over a $5 million State grant requested by the Simon Weisenthal Center to creat a ''Museum of Tolerance.·· The purpose of such a museum would be to sensitize the public to the evils of totalitarian

11

governments that preach genocide. It would feature exhibits not only from the Churban of World War II wrought by the Nazis, but from other atrocities as well. The Los Angeles Times in a re-cent editorial, while pointing out the importance and even the necessity of such an undertaking, maintained that public money should not be spent on this project since the board of directors of Simon Weisenthal Center included rabbis who were also on the board of directors of Yeshiva University - a re-ligious institution.

But don't yeshivas already receive government money, albeit for neutral purposes, such as textbooks, transpor-tation and nutritional programs? Not in California. Here yeshivas are not eligi-ble for one penny offunding because of their religious affiliation. As a matter of fact, a number of years ago when a referendum for textbook aid to religious private schools was on the ballot in California. Jewish secular organiza-tions led the campaign to summarily defeat it .... Orthodox Jews in other parts of the country should not judge Califor-nia by their own communities' ex-periences. To the contrary. the growing secular righteousness prevailing in California, which deliberately dis-credits anything religious as irrelevant in the discussion of public issues. may well be the wave of the future for the rest of the country.

The California phenomenon is in some ways a backlash to the overt at-tempts by the Moral Majority to Chris-tianize America. A battle is taking place for the control of our value system, and the protagonists are. in effect. two religions. "Christianity" and "Secular-ism.'' Putin the simplest of terms. both are absolute in their view. with little or no common denominators. Neither

side considers the point of view of the other, and both tend to leave us out in the cold. Neither secular nor Christian, we are in the precarious position of be-ing outsiders either way.

WHO SPEAKS FOR JEWISH INTERESTS?

P resently, in California a number of legislative issues have arisen which initially ignored the Jew-ish perspective. A law was recently passed that, in effect, allowed for the removal of corneas from autopsied bod-ies without permission. Gay rights and State-funded abortions are perennial is-sues. Bills are being introduced to add ''morality'' curricula in public schools. No one was interested in stopping un-necessary autopsies. No one was con-cerned that Shomer Shabbos Jews were forced to choose between their ca-reer and Shabbos. No one protested the double tax burden that yeshiva parents are forced to bear, or took sides on a host of other issues of vital concern to the Torah community.

Our group - Agudath Israel of California's Commission on Legislation and Civic Action - is similar to numer-ous other groups that have sprouted in various areas of the United States. We don't represent a major constituency in this state - and even our Orthodox community is far from a cohesive force. We have, however. formed coalitions on an issue-by-issue basis. Our ap· proach has been to emphasize the legitimacy and fairness of each in-dividual initiative rather than resort only to political arm twisting. In a rela-tively short period of time we have gained the respect and admiration of legislators on both sides of the aisle.

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Most importantly, we have injected a third point of view into the debate.

Stated brieily, and perhaps simplisti-cally. we favor the separation of church and state as far as the establishment of a state religion is concerned. The state should not be prevented, however, from actively accommodating religion inasecularmanner. Wedonotaskthe State to legislate a religious standard that would preclude any accepted moral standard. We do not aim to legis-late our beliefs on others and oppose any legislation that would impose for-eign beliefs on us.

While these are well-known views wherever Agudath Israel has been ac-tive in the past, until recently they were not especially well-known on the West Coast. Yet this position is so pragmatic that many legislatures embraced it al-most immediately. Many others. al-though requiring convincing, at least indicate a willingness to listen.

The Kosher bill in the California State Assembly? The vote was 65-3 in favor. Assemblyman Robinson voted no, al-though he did not speak from the floor. The other two negative votes were from Republican Assemblymen who. we be-lieve. still don't really understand the issue. Obviously, our buttonholing paid off. People are listening. Mr. Robinson's oppostion, however, does represent a vestige of that popular sentiment of avoiding anything that sounds, even vaguely. like the mixing of church and state. We were successful with respect to the Kosher bill on its consumer fraud implications, and for which we were able to gather the support of every ma-jor Jewish organization. Unfor-tunately, few issues are so clear cut or so easily resolved. Nonetheless. we are optimistic that we can succeed, taking one issue at a time. II


f:'or the first_ titne in Israel'S-history, placard·carryfng parents a·nd children staged a demonstration in front of the Chtnuch Atimai offices. They were protesting the closing of a Chinuch Atzmai Torah_ Sc_hool in Adil'lm. Then, an everi stranger _thing happened, Half our office staff got up and joined the demonstrators. After all, we_ wanted to protest together. These desperate people Were crying for the life of their-childretL They were aftc.iid Of being !6rced to sendJhese precious Jewish souls into seCtiJa·r Schoois that are empty of any.spirit of Judaism....:....empty of_ Torah-:and into_ the streets-where drugs, crime-and depravJty ru:n rampant

Chinuch Atzmai's Tenible Dilemma Aftet 35 9ears of slowly, painfully, _cin-d with _unbelievable sacrifice, building our huge network of over 300 schools and ·over 40,000 children all across_ Israel, we_ may be_forcedJo-turn back. The government budget cuts have thrown _Chinuch Atzmai into-the severest c'rislS slnci'.'! its beflinnings. We may_ have to cut classes in_ existing schools and ·even clo_se entire schools. We may have to tell these parents tt'> take their children back-back to a life empty of Torah,

3,000 New Enrollees! All this is occuring arnklst 'the greatest return· t6 Torah in_ modern Isr_ael's exlstence .-ln years back we used to have-to plead, beg, and cajole p·arents into ~ntotling their children in a T_orah Sc_ho0-1. This year .Without any effort on our part, 3,_000 new_ childten enrolled in our schools, -Parents catne begging, pleading for;us to m·ake room for their children In ou:_r_c_lasS~Ooms._lt_requite·s o:-S to open 6 new schools, 18 new klndergatt~_ns,_ an_d 50 _addition_a:I classes. But there are no chalts, no bdoks, no money for tea·Chers-and no buildings in which to pface thei'rL

Help Us Say Yes to these Parents and Children ..• ... and to the patents ari_d children -Of countless other coinm·unltle:s and settlemen_ts ln _Israel According to_.Harav Sha Cb'. _one of lsraet's greatest spJri_tual l_eaders,_ "If we had-the m·oney we-could enroll anbther 50,.000chifdren to stud)' Torah nolVl"

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'

THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS: A PERSONAL NARRATIVE

On a gray and windy autumn day five years ago, my family and I moved from Brooklyn to Roch-ester, N. Y. My son stood at the airport clutching his teddy bear, and I envied him his portable security. The things that made me secure - a close-knit fa-mily, a vibrant Bais Yaakov education, a wholly frum environment- were not so easily moved. Go-ing out on our own, into a largely non-Jewish milieu - what might we expect? What might we gain? And what, what did we risk losing?

L ong. long ago. in my high school days. my friends and I had only one clear idea about life "out of town.'' Susie had gone to visit with rela-tives in a suburb of Cleveland one sum-mer. and she· d returned with the slight twang she has kept to this day and an image of out-of-town life which im-pressed us all. "On Shabbos," she told us repeatedly. "people whom you don't know say 'Gut Shabbos' and every-body smiles and answers!" We born-and-bred Boro Parkers were delighted.

Several years later my then-chassan and I had a long talk concerning his fu-ture. He had to choose between a career in the Rabbinate or in law. We chose the latter. largely because we knew that as a pulpit Rabbi he would almost cer-tainly have to move "out of town." Sto-ries of smiling strangers are nice to while away a long Boro Park Shabbos afternoon, I thought to mnyself. but for us to live ''out of town''? Unthinkable!

Well, "a mensch tracht und G-tt lac ht," as my father used to say, and af. ter three years of law school my hus-band received his best job offer from a firm 350 miles away from "town."

Mrs. Zitter is a graduate of Bais Yaakov Academy in Brooklyn. This is her first appear-ance in these pages.

14

Rochester, N.Y.? Alli knew aboutitwas that it was further from Brooklyn than Woodboume was, and that it was home to the Mayo Clinic and to mountains of snow. (Actually, I was wrong about the Mayo Clinic, which is in Rochester, Minnesota; unfortunately, though, I was right about the snow.) We found out from cousins who had lived there that Rochester Yiddishkeit consisted of five Orthodox synagogues (but are there any shuls? I asked. in a moment of panic), a small mikveh, and the Talmudical Institute. a branch of the Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva. For a person who'd grown up in a neighborhood where five shuls. a mikveh, and a yeshiva all on one block was not un-heard of, it did not sound promising. Nevertheless, we decided to go - just for one year, of course. two the most, af-ter which we would promptly return home from out-of-town galus.

AFTER 500 INCHES OF SNOW -A NEW PERSPECTIVE

F ive years and some five hundred inches of snow have come and gone since our arrival in Roch-ester the day after Simchas Torah 1980, and well - here we are still. My husband has become president of our

synagogue, which celebrated this year its centennial as afrum shul. and my whole family is more involved than I ever dreamed possible with the Roches-ter Orthodox community in its every aspect. We've learned that the difficul-ties of "out-of-town" life go much fur-ther than the lack of a kosher pizza

The 1 QO.year-old Beth Haknesses Hachodosh


shop or Meal Mart, but we've also seen that in addition to the problems and, yes, occasional perils oflivingfarfrom an Orthodox community like Brooklyn, there are tremendous possibilities and rewards to our lives here. Life "out-of-town ''has given us a new perspective, both about ourselves and about other Jews.

One million people live in the Greater Rochester area. Twenty- thousand of these people are Jews; of the Jews. ap-proximately one thousand consider themselves Orthodox. All these statis-tics boil down to two important facts about out-of-town life. The first of these is that when one leaves the major Or-thodox population centers. one cannot continue to ignore the fact that the overwhelming majolity of Jews are not Shomer Torah U'Mitzvos, that most American Jews today have completely lost their way. The second fact ofout-of-town living is that, though it is a vast and sometimes frightening task, an in-dividual can do something to help these lost Jews find their way back out of the emptiness which characterizes the re-ligious lives of most Ameiican Jews to-day. Out of town, every Orthodox Jew counts in the community, in a way un-paralleled in my experience in New York.


CHALLAHFORSATURDAY

I n Boro Park, of course, we knew such a thing as non- Orthodox Jews existed. We'd heard of Re-form Jews, Conservative Jews, un-affiliated Jews. but we pictured these things in our minds in much the same way that a child pictures the trolls and dragons of fairy tales, as things far away and vaguely threatening, but not as something that need concern us day by day. The first week that we arrived in Rochester, however, my views changed with a jolt. On my first day out strolling with my child on strange streets, a young woman had in-troduced herself as a neighbor and urged me to drop by. The next day, my son had a slight accident - he cut his lip while climbing on a mountain of un-opened seforim boxes in our living room - and when the bleeding stopped 1 suddenly felt terribly alone. Swallowing my xenophobic New York fears, I took a chance and called on that neighbor. Imagine my delight when I spotted a mezuzah on her door and en-tered into a kitchen that smelled of freshly baked challah! You'refrum! I called out. in amazed relief. Actually.

,"":< ',-_,

Emmy Stark Zitter

no, she answered gently, I'm really a

I

I

''When one leaves the major Orthodox population centers, one cannot continue to ignore the fact that most American Jews to-

day have completely lost their way."

CONSTANTLY EXPLAINING MYSELF .•.

With all these questions swir-ling about you like December snowflakes. you begin to exam

ine the halachos and minhagim which you've always taken for granted and which have caused the differences so starkly underlined bet ween you and the vast majority around you. All your actions take on additional mean-ing. What we must always fear in out-of-town life is that we will be influenced by those less observant than we are. for without a doubt our need to be like others is a severe temptation; but what we must never fear are the sincere questions we ask ourselves about our way of life, for the answers will surely glow with the logic. truth. and beauty of Torah.

.•. TO MYSELF

W hen you are constantly sur-rounded by people question-ing what you do, you stop taking things for granted, doing things by rote. and start finding for yourself reasons and answers. Moreover, those who ask the questions generally ask them with real interest, and your honest answers and persistent exam-ple will often come to influence them. Many of the Jews in Rochester have had no prior experience withfrum peo-ple; in many cases, you are their only model of Torah-true Judaism. One Rochesterian, a concert violinist and ham radio operator, found his interest in Judaism piqued when he picked up a learning group. "Meslvta D'Rakia," on his radio. He became friendly with

16

some of the Orthodox Jews here. and he and his entire family eventually be-came ba 'alei teshuva. Now he proudly wears his kipah, with the words "Mesivta D'Rakia""' knitted on it, to concerts as well as to shul. There is an-other ba 'al teshuva here whose kipah attests to his unusual background - I suspect that his is the only dark green kipah in existence with ''U.S. Army Re-serve" crocheted on it, and, in fact, the officers of his reserve unit actually al-low him to wear it instead of a conven-tional lieutenant's cap.

Rochester has an unusually high number of ba 'alei teshuva. and most of these people returned because of their personal contact with individual mem-bers of the Orthodox community. Even in less dramatic cases, there is no tell-ing what the small influence of a single Orthodox Jew here might effect. Per-haps a family will keep their children in the day school for an extra year. per-haps a woman will stop buying pork for her kitchen, perhaps a child will grow up and decide to marry within the faith, because they've met you. a "normal" person who is proud of a Torah heritage and has been willing to explain and to share it.

WHAT ABOUT OUR OWN CHILDREN?

B ut while we rejoice in influenc-ing those who have lost the way, the question of our own children remains. When we first moved out of town, our son Nachum was just

•See ··c1ose Encounters of a Wireless Kind.·· JO. Sept. '78.

a year old, and we felt that a year ortwo away in the "wilds" at that age could certainly not hurt him. But he's in first grade now, and with my born-in-Rochester daughters entering nursery school, the question ofraising children out of town has become urgent. When he was three years old, my son came home from school crying one day; he'd seen Christmas lights on the local fire station and he'd assumed that this meant that Jews could not be firemen, his great ambition at the time. I was naturally upset, seeing my son hurt be-cause he lived among the non-Jews out of town. but I was also quite proud of a little boy who understood better than most adults that we are a people apart. In New York, the lines are not as clearly drawn; the danger in Bora Park is that we might forget that we are different, and that even if Christmas garlands no longer hang over Thirteenth Avenue as they did when I was a child, that Brook-lyn still is Galus and we ought not get too comfortable there.

In Rochester, the Jewish community is large enough and vibrant enough to fill most of our needs, so aside from the annual problem of Christmas pag-eantry, our children don't run into too many conflicts with the Gentile culture around us- - just enough to remind them of who they are. 'fhe issue of less religious or non-religious Jews. though, is another question, and one which is constantly with us. Even in our shul there are many levels of obser-vance, and the children meet people in school from every stratum of Judaism. While I don't know what this will mean to them when they're older. right now they haven't suffered from this ex-posure. Kids are remarkably perceptive and can adjust to difficult situations with great finesse. Sure, they ask ques-tions, but if you answer them honestly and in terms they can understand. and if you back up your words with your ac-tions, they will accept what you have to say.

We've tried to keep our children from feeling arrogant or superior about their observance. while at the same time in-stilling in them a sense of great pride in what they have and gratitude for hav-ing it. We've also tried to teach them that while we may hate the sins of the irreligious Jews, we love and pity those Jews themselves. Perhaps the best part about answering our children's ques-tions simply is that it forces us to con-front these problems and clarify them for ourselves. This lesson about Ahavas Yisroel is one which I, for one,


needed badly after a lifetime spent in the rarefied Boro Park environment. And it isa lesson which I think our chil-dren are learning. too. Last year my son's kindergarten class went on a ·· Succa hop.·· visiting the succos of the three children in the class whose fami-lies had built them. I shall never forget the look on his face as he showed his succa to his friends, explaining the sig-nificance ofthes'chach, pointing to the pictures of the Ushpizin. sharing with a glow his pride in his Jewish life.

EVERY ONE COUNTS

M y son knows it, his younger sisters are learning it, and I have found it out too: When you live out of town, every action you take. every mitzva you perform, every work of Torah you learn can have a pro-found effect on the entire community. I attend a Chumash study group every Monday night. and many of the women who participate have ventured out to learn until midnight through snowstorms which would have closed down New York for days. Each of us feels a responsibility for the others' study. Ifoneofusdidn'tcome because of the weather perhaps the others might have second thoughts, and the class could be cancelled; the loss of three hours of Torah study for our-selves and for the community would be too great.

My husband attends minyan more faithfully here than ever he did in New York. Perhaps he will be the tenth for the minyan, maybe they'll need him to lain. or there might just be somebody there who will benefit from seeing a young man who goes to shul and still makes it to work on time.


.-•• -••• "r",,,,,,,, ·-

At the Succa Hop

Where there is a bris in the commu-nity (as there was, incidentally, on the morning that I am writing this). I will wake up the children two hours before they need to get up so that they too can celebrate the arrival of this new Jew in our community and get a share in the mitzva of bris milah. In New York I could have gone to numerous brisim. but I rarely bothered.

In Rochester I will prepare Shabbos classes, where in New York I would only occasionally even attend them. My husband will "hear out" bar mitzva boys learning to lain their first Pars ha, and he will help them to understnad what it is they are saying and not just teach them to perform it. The list could go on and on. In Rochester, there is no hiding behind a group; if something needs to be done. chances are you will be the only one who can do it -and if you don't the whole community will suffer.

THINGS I STILL WORRY ABOUT

S ure, there are things I still worry about because I Jive out of town. I spoke to a prominent Rav who has lived most of his life away from the New York area about my worries con-cerning my children's chinuch. He ad-mitted that the New York schools were generally more demanding in their Jewish curriculum than out-of-town community schools, but he assured me too that parents' involvement in teach-ing their own children what might be lacking in the classroom not only would fill the gap but would add a new dimension to the closeness of the fa-mily. Still. will I be up to such a chal-lenge? And what about my daughters, as they grow up? Right now. the girls' yeshiva high school. opened under the

___ ....,, ~I

auspices of the Chafetz Chaim Yeshiva two years ago. is experiencing all the problems and joys of a newly founded institution. In nine years it will be a thriving school. like the yeshiva itself, or will I have to consider sending a lit-tle thirteen-year-old girl "out of town" - back to New York - to give her the kind of Jewish education my parents insisted on for me? And, though it seems light years away now, what will happen when the children are ready for shidduchim? Will there be anybody here for them in Rochester? Will their out-of-town backgrounds help or hin-der them if they move back to New York?

I discussed many of these concerns with another transplanted New Yorker, a friend who has two teenage daughters of her own. and I found her answers both stimulating and encouraging. She told me that she often compared her daughter's 11pbringing with that of the children whom she knew in New York City. In Rochester, she noted, the par-ents are much more involved with their children's chinuch, not necessarily in formal teaching, but in carefully watch-ing and advising them in matters of friendship, of middos, and ofa develop-ing sense of responsibility. Her girls know that to the non-frum and non-Jewish world around them, their ac-tions are seen as representing our whole way of life. It is. she admitted. sometimes a heavy responsibility for young girls. but her careful nurturing has helped them learn to bear it. Her friends in New York City, she added, had a more laissez faire method of educating their children. depending as they do on the school and the general environment to help take care of their children.

So here I am, five years now in Roch-ester. with some of my early questions answered and new ones coming up all the time. As for the future - who knows? When I see some of the fine young people that Rochester has al-ready produced, my fears are some-what allayed. If. however. I find in some years that we have to return to a larger Orthodox community for the sake of the children, though - well. so be it. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying my life here, learning a new feeling of responsibility for my fellow Jews, trying to look inside at myself and outwards at others, and growing with a growing Jewish com-munity. Oh. and yes - I have learned to smile at strangers on Shabbos. And to invite them in for Kiddush and a meal, as well. 1111

17

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INTRODUCING VOLUME II IN

The Collected Writings of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch THE JEWISH YEAR (Part 2):

EL UL-AD AR

• Inspiring, penetrating essays that capture the profundity, the unique character, and spirit of every Jewish month.

• There are six illuminating essays relating to each of the months. And among the titles you will find-Shofar: The Call of G~d to Man • Leviathan and the Nations: The Succos Offerings (This has long been recogni

Shimon Finkelman

SUCCOS: The Encounter Between

Judgment and Joy

THE SEASON OF PARADOX

O f the three major festivals, only Succoshas been desig-nated as ''The Time of Our Rejoicing.'' One reason for this is that it is only with regard lo Succos that the To-rah enjoins us three times to rejoice. I The cause for joy seems obvious. for Succos follows immediately after the Days of Awe, when a Jew cleanses himself of sin through intense repen~ tance. Thus. our jubilation at finally being able to serve our Cre-ator uninhibited by the barriers erected by sin. According to the Midrash (VayikraRabba 30:2), this thought is alluded to in the mitzva of arba minim, the Four Species. where the spear-like lulav held by each Jew represents the triumphant stance of Israel emerging victorious from the judgment of the Days of Awe.

Rabbi Finkelman, who teaches Gemora in Yeshiva Tiferes Elimelech in Brooklyn. wrote "Taklng Flight WHh a Mitzva'' (JO, Nov. '84)and is author of three books for the Art scroll youth series. including the recently published Reh Nocflem'ke.


There is an aspect ofSuccos, however, that seems to con-tradict its status as a time for rejoicing. According to the Mishna (Rosh Hashana I :2), the world is judged on Succos with regard to its water supply for the entire year ahead. Zahar (Tzav 3lb) goes beyond that. stating that !tis actually a time of general judgment, for that which has been decreed on Rosh Hashana and sealed on Yorn Kippur ls not finalized until Hoshana Rabba, the seventh dayofSuccos. when the parch-ments containing the verdits are entrusted to the malochim who "deliver" them. (It is for this reason that people customar-ily wish each other a g 'mar tov (literally, "good conclusion") during the period between Yorn Kippur and Hoshana Rabba.)

It would seem, then, that the days leading up to Hoshana Rabba would be better spent in remorseful repentance as one awaits the final judgment; rejoicing seems out of place. To put Hoshana Rabba in a wider perspective, some questions must be clarified:

Shouldn't the judgment on Rosh Hashana also include rain-fall. as well as graJn and fruit harvests, which, according to the Mishna, are decided upon at three different junctures through-

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out the year?(2) On the other hand, If in fact all the judgments of the Yomim Noraim are not finalized until Hoshana Rabba, why does the Mishnasingle out rainfall as being decided upon during this time? Finally, what is the precise implication of the term g'mar din, finalization. which is associated with Hoshana Rabba? Rosh Hashana is understood to be the time of k'siva, when the Divine judgments are inscribed in the Heavenly books, while Yorn Kippur is the time of chasima, when those decrees are sealed. How does the "sealing" of the decree differ from the g 'mar - the finalization that is associated with Hoshana Rabba? Don't we usually speak of them both in the same breath? - "The decree was signed and sealed." indi~ cated that the decree is irreversible? Obviously, we are in need of a better understanding of the progression of judgment that takes place during this season.

FOR WHOM THE RAINS FALL

During the Days of Awe, the ten days beginning with Rosh Hashana, every Jew is judged in his totality; it is during that time - more than any other - that it is auspicious for man to undergo a spiritual transformation through repentance. If he responds to the call of the season, then a favorable judgment is pronounced - a judgment that encompasses all that affects him in the entire year.

In addition, there are specific judgments throughout the year, such as on Succos, when judgment regarding rainfall is pronounced. This judgment will not hinge on the toial spiritual make-up of the individual so much as it relates specifically to his metit in regard to bi tac hon - that is. his trust in G-d as Pro-vider of all sustenance, and his performance of the mitzvos hachag that are related to this judgment [as will be detailed below).(3)

This specific judgment can indirectly affect the judgments of the previous days. For, if on Hoshana Rabba a Jew is found deserving of blessings of bounty, then the judgmentoflife and death can be altered for the better. as is demonstrated by the following episode recorded in the Gemora (Ta 'anis Ba}:

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In the days of Rav Shmuel bar Nachmeini both a fam-ine and a deadly plague struck simultaneously. The Sages pondered: How shall we direct our prayers? It is improper to pray for two things at once {when the re-quests are for matanos chinam, undeserved gifts, as was the case here in the Sages' opinion - Iyun Yaakov. ibid.). To request that the famine end would leave them facing decimation by plague. There was no choice, they felt, but to pray that the plague end and bear the ravages of fam-ine (which, while devastating. are less severe than those of a plague - Maharsha, ibid.).

Rav Shmuel bar Nachmeini, however, disagreed. He said that if prayers for the famine's end would be ac-cepted, then the result would be that the plague, too, would cease," ... forwhen G-d bestows bounty on people, He bestows it on the living, not on the dead, as is written in Tehillim (145,16):. 'You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing."' When G-d grants a blessing, He also provides all that is necessary for the benefits of that blessing to be realized; if the people have bounty, they will also live to enjoy it.

TWO HOLIDAYS, TWO APPROACHES

W hen G-d grants life on Rosh Hashana, then, He may also bestow a person the blessings of rain and sus-tenance; and His blessings of sustenance on Succos can bring with them life itself. The ways to achieve these bless-ings on these two holidays differ. The days when our requests are summed up by the plea" And inscribe for a good life all the children of Your covenant!" we immerse ourselves in soul-searching and introspection, and approach the moment of reckoning in awe and fear.

When the shofar blast sounds at the conclusion of Ne 'ila, sig-naling the return of the Shechina to its Heavenly abode and closing of the Heavenly Gates, the mood immediately changes. As the Midrash states. a Jew should emerge from Yorn Kippur joyful and confident that his prayers have been accepted and that he has been inscribed for a good life. "Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a glad heart," a Heavenly voice proclaims," for G-d has already approved your deeds" (Kohelles 9:7).

The days that follow are days of repentance in preparation for the water judgment, but they encompass a repentance that flows from the joy of our having completed Yorn Kippur purl· fied, achieving a new closeness with G-d. With joy we declare our faith and trust in the Provider of all sustenance, so that con-cerning us will be applied the timeless words of the prophet. "Blessed is the man who trusts in G-d" [ 17:7).

This new order of repentance, while a direct result of the previous order. is on a higher plane - that of love; for our Sages teach {Y oma 86b) that repentance motivated by awe can trans-form intentional sins into unintentional ones, while repentance that grows from love of G-d transforms intentional sins into meritorious deeds. In this way, too, one can merit during the new period of judgment that which he did not deserve previously.

It is thus that on Succos a Jew has, in effect. two avenues available to him by which he can overturn any harsh decrees;

The Jewish Observer!Oclober, 1985

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he can be granted life as an outgrowth of meriting the blessing of rain and contentment; and he can attain the heights of teshuva me 'ahava - repentance that comes from love -through which any and all harsh decrees are rescinded.

An allusion to this new order of repentance might be found in the Torah itself. In commanding us to fulfill the mitzva of arba minim, the Torah states (Vayikra 23:40), "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day (of the festival) the fruit of a beautiful tree .. ,," (Midrash Tanchuma ibid.) questions the use of the term "first day" as opposed to "fifteenth of the month" to indicate when the milzvashould be perforrned.(4) "First day" may be an allusion to the new order of repentance mentioned:(5) the beginning of Succos marks the "first day" of this order,

The Mishna in Rosh Hashana speaks of the specific judg-ment regarding rainfall on Succos; it makes no mention of general judgment, for the primary period for this has al-ready ended with Yorn Kippur when the decree had, in-deed, been signed. so to speak. Then. each Jew came forth with remorse and confession. and having ''rested his case.·· judgment was passed. The chasima is final - as far as that order of repentance is concerned. But the angels' delivery of the decrees is delayed, forthere isa possibility that it will be superseded by a new judgment based on the consider-ations of bitachon and ahava - trust in G-d and love for Him.

THE MITZVOS OF SUCCOS - TOOLS OF REPENTANCE

T he primary tools in this new order of repentance are the mitzvos that are uniquely associated with Succos: succa, arba minim, and rejoicing, which are men-tioned specifically in the Torah; and the water libations and arava·circuits,(6) which were transmitted to Moshe at Sinai.

Through these mUzvos, a Jew can tilt the scales of judgment


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in his favor, as is alluded to in the Mishna (Succa 2:9). There, our performance of mitzvos Succa is likened to a servant dilut· ing strong wine with water to suit his master's taste. The Vilna Gaon (Ko! Eliyahu, Emor) explains that in the allegorical ter-minology of Kabbala, wine represents harsh judgment, while water represents mercy. Any harsh judgments that may have been decreed upon a Jew can be diluted with tempering mercy through his performance of the mitzvos of the festival.

A closer look at these mitzvos reveals that they are particu· larly auspicious for removing the stains of sin and for forging bonds oflove between G-d and His people: and they also figure prominently in our quest of a favorable judgment for rainfall.

In contrast with Pesach, with its numerous prohibitions against eating, benefitting from chametz. or possessing it. Succoshas no negative commandments particular to it alone; that is. all its mitzvos are positive. Negative commandments can carry with them the harsh punishment of makkos (lashes). and in some cases karets, excision, which manifests the severity of their transgression. The positive commandments ofSuccos, on the other hand, carry no such punishment for deliberate omission or transgression. This in itself is indicative of the nature oftheseason;ata time when, motivated by love, we are to return to G·d, we are granted five Divine gifts of love - mitzvos whose merits are great and whose liabilities are relatively minor - to help us achieve our goal.

SURROUNDED BY THE SUCCA

T he mitzva to dwell in thesuccais truly unique. Every part of one·s body shares equally in the mitzva's perfor· mance - in fact the individual is actually surrounded by the mitzva object. The Ba' al Shem Tov once declared." I love the mitzva of succa. A man can enter it with his whole body - even with the mud on his boots!" Moreover, one can fulfull the mitzva even while sleeping, and its simple require-ment that we "dwell" in thesuccaallows us to simultaneously perform other mitzvos, such as Torah study, prayer and hach· nasas orchim.

In Tefilla Zakka, which is customarily recited before Kol Nidrei, we ask that the five discomforts that we will endure on that day atone, measure for measure, for the sins we may have committed with those organs which will now be denied pleas· ure; the mitzvaofsucca, because of its unique nature, also has the power to atone for sins committed by any and all organs of the body - with pleasure, instead of deprivation ... out of love rather than fear.

Small wonder, then, that in the festival liturgy the paytan declares: "Let not the mitzva of succa be insignificant in your eyes. for her statutes equal those of other milzvos.(9)"

As we know, Zohar(Emor) teaches that seven ushpizin (ex-alted guests) descend from Gan Eden and visit the succa on each day of the festival. The Zahar teaches further that one should invite the poor to his Succos table and provide them with the "portions" of the ushpizin, for if not, then those ex· alted guests will hold aloof from him.

In this way. the mitzva of succa is particularly auspicious for a favorable judgment for rainfall, for what better way to earn the blessing of bounty and contentment than byshartngone's own table with the needy?

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UNITED THROUGH THE FOUR SPECIES

T he Midrash (Vayikra Rabba 30) perceives the arba minim as symbolizing the Jewish Nation. subdivided into four distinct groups. The esrog, a fruit which has both taste and fragrance, represents the Jew who possesses both Torah knowledge and good deeds; the lulav, which has taste but no fragrance (referring to the dates that grow on the palm tree), alludes to those who have Torah knowledge but are deficient in performing good deeds; the haddas (myrtle), which has only fragrance. and the arava (willow). which has neither taste nor fragrance, round out the remaining groups.

What does G-d say with regard to these four symbolisms? "Let them be tied together in one band and they will atone one for the other." (ibid.)

The arba minim, then can be viewed as both representing a nation serving G·d in unison, and a call to its people to honor this symbolism. As a mitzva representing harmony among Jews, it canies with it the blessing of peace. ''Great is peace, for even iflsrael is guilty of idolatry, but it unified as a group, then the Attribute of Judgment will not harm them" (Sifri, Naso). Thus. when a Jew performs the mitzva of arba minim with proper intent, he "spreads succas shalom - a shelter of peace" over himself. which will protect him from any harsh judgments he may have incurred.

Furthermore, by performing this mitzva with four plants that depend on abundant water supplies for their growth, the Jew will merit a favorable judgment with regard to rainfall in particular.

The pouring of the water libations on the altar and the per-formance of the arava-circuits around it were primarily in-tended to invoke a favorable judgment for water. With regard to the water libations, G-d says, as it were, ''Pour out water be-fore Me on the Festival so that your rains for the year will be blessed" {Rosh Hashana 16a). The arava-circuits are per-formed with a plant that is not only dependent on an abun-dance of water. but in addition usually grows alongside a stream (Succa 33b), and therefore is symbolically important in the Jew's quest for rain. The altar, around which these two mitzvos center. was always the focus of the nation when it sought blessing and prosperity.

And as Rav Shmuel bar Nachmeini taught, all this indirectly affects the judgment of life itself.

THE HEALING POWER OF JOY

T he loving return to G-d and His statutes, which Succos represents. finds its greatest expression in the com-mandment of ''Vesomachta - and you shall rejoice'' (Devarirn 16: 14). This true simchashel mitzva is the antithe-sis of banal frivolity, of which King Solomon says. "And of joy. what does it do?" (Koheles 2:2).

Just as the day ofYom Kippur itself can bring atonement, so can repentance stemming from simcha shel mitzva. This is evident from the events surrounding the dedication of the First Beis HaMikdash, when Ghazal tell us (Moed Katan 9), Yorn Kippur was superseded by the ongoing celebration. The Prophet reports (I Melachim 8): "On the eighth day, he (King

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t Solomon) sent the people home ... and they returned to their tents joyful and glad of heart, over all the good that Hashem performed for .. .lsrael, His nation." Of what "good" does the Prophet speak? Rav Parnach said in the name of Rabbi Y ocha-nan. "That year lsrael did not observe Yorn Kippur and they were concerned, lest the enemies of Israel (a euphemism) were deserving of annihilation. Then a Heavenly voice proclaimed: 'You are all worthy of entering the World-to-Come!'" (ibid.).

Now, we can understand how the Heavenly voice had in-formed them that they would suffer no punishment for having failed to observe the Holiest of Days; but how could they pos-sibly have achieved atonement for their sins of the past year without the cleansing process of the Day of Atonement? What replaced the day and its power to atone, without which certain sins cannot be forgiven? (See Mishna Yoma 8:8). Apparently. their transcendent joy had somehow accomplished this for them.

During the era of the Battei Mikdash. the simcha shel mitzva of Succos reached rare heights at the Simchas Beis Hasha 'eiva. the celebration held on each of the Intermediate Days ofSuccos, in the Temple's Lower Court, in honor of the drawing of the water that would be used for the pour-offerings. As our Sages point out (Succa 50b), this was the fulfillment of the command: "You shall draw water joyously"; the water-drawing was a key rung in the ladder of repentance in prepa-ration for the judgment over water, and without the accom-paniment of joy. the ceremony would have been lacking in sub-stance. Joy was essential to the fulfillment of this mitzva.

Jn fact, the elevation associated with this joy actually en-dowed some of the participants with Ruach HaKodesh (a spirit of Divine Inspiration). The simcha shel mitzva was so pro-found that according to Ghazal. "He who did not witness Sim-e has Beis HaSho'eiva never saw rejoicing in his life'' (Mishna Succa5:1).

Active participation in this simcha shel mitzva was not open to all; it was reserved for the great scholars, heads of yeshivos and members of the Sanhedrin. Sages of unsullied piety were joined by baalei teshuva as all others looked on - the men from their vantage point in the court and women from a spe-cially constructed gallery. (See Rambam. Hilchos Lulav 8: 14; see Succa 53a for a detailed description.) The nation entered Hoshana Rabba in this lofty spirit, and in merit of this joyful en-counter with G-d. the nation could hope to be found virtuous.

Then, with am utual expression of love and joy between G-d and His children, Hashem, as it were. restrained Klal Yisroel from taking leave of Jerusalem. He beseeched them to remain one more day to celebrate the festival ofShemini Atzeres (at-zeres meaning "restraint"; see Rashi, Bamidbar 29:35); note Rashi's portrayal of His request: "They are like children who are {about to] leave their father, and he says to them. 'Your departure is so difficult for mel' ")

WHAT IS LEFT FOR US IN GOLUS?

H ere we are in exile in a diminished state: we cannot per-form the water pourings. nor join in the celebration that accompanied it; nor do we have the altar to circle with the arava ceremony.

We can, however. perform the mitzvaof succa no differently from the days of old, entering the booth, becoming enveloped

The JewiSh Observer/October, 1985

the lu FOOTNOTES in the mitzva. It is an almost universal custom to gather and

celebrate in a spirit of true simchashel mitzva the celebration called Simchas Beis HaSho'eiva as a remembrance of the Temple times. We fulfill the mitzvos of the arba minim all seven days of Succos (although in Temple times it was only performed on the first day by those outside the Temple area); and we perform the Hoshana arava-circuits around the btma for seven days in addition to the ceremony ofHoshana Rabba - both as a Zeicher leMikdash - commemoration of the Temple.

I. Other reasons for this designation include: a} the nature of the season - hanrest time - demands an expression of joy over the abundance that ftllsone's house: and b) on this festival the joyous observance of SimchasBeis HaShoeiva took place.

2. Many solutions are offered for this question. See Rosh Hashana 16a.

3. Michtav Me'Eliyahu. Vol. II pg. 68.

The concept of zeicher leMikdash was first expressed by Y!r-miyahu (Jeremiah 30: 17): "She is Zion, no one inquires after her." Says the Gemora: "Isn'tit expected, then, that we do in-quire after Zion? Our performance of mitzvos as a zeicher leMikdash is a demonstration of our concern over its d estruc-tion." (see Succa4la)

4. Dates of the month are the Torah's usual method for such an indication (Beis Yosef, Orach Chayim 581).

It also serves as proof that we who are mired in the throes of a long and difficult exile firmly believe and anticipate the ulti-mate Redemption, when these mit.zvoswill be performed as in the days of old .... This is perhaps the greatest expression oflove of all.

5. The Midrash perceives this term to imply "the first day in the accounting of sins," after the spiritual cleansing ofYom Kip-pur - possibly because the days ofYom Tov preparation that follow allow no opportunity to do sin; consequently the Jew stands before G-d on the first day of Succos in total purity, ready to begin his service anew.

May we perfonn the mitzvos hachag in a spirit of tnre teshuva me'ahava. and may we soon merit the time when the world will be rid of all evil and G·d will spread asuccaofpeace over "us and His entire people. Israel. and Jerusalem."

6. In fact, there is a dispute recorded in the Gemora (Succa43b) as to whether the circuits were made with a lulav or an arava. The Mishna (ibid., Mishna 4:5) states clearly that the altar was ringed with aravos. hence the use of the term arava - circuits.

7. Yotzros L'Yom Sheini.

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