Torah Currents...A Project of the Orthodox Caucus

Few Modern Orthodox initiatives have been as successful and influential as the Orthodox Caucus. If there is a usable Pre-Nuptial Agreement to block recalcitrant husbands; if the RCA Bet Din eas reorganized and upgraded; if there are Yoatzot Halakha in the US; if the Orthodox Community is confronting tough ethical issues it is because of the Caucus.

Now, the Caucus has undertaken a new learning initiative, in the form of an on-line journal cum blog, known as Torah Currents. I am proud to be on the Editorial Board and to have published my first piece there, about Megillat Esther. I welcome comments, there or here.

Words of Warning from Ben Chorin

My friend, Ben Chorin, is one of the most astute observers of the Israeli scene that I know. It is for that reason that I decided to share his latest posting:

Westerners tend to imagine that non-Westerners are just like them only less so. For example, they imagine that Muslims couldn't possibly take their own religion so seriously that they wouldn't give up some of its rough edges on behalf of the promise of prosperity and freedom. Another example, even closer to home, is the inability of American Jews -- including many American olim -- to appreciate the many ways that Israeli politics is more similar to Soviet politics than to American politics.

One example should suffice. Both the media and the law enforcement agencies in Israeli are highly centralized. Both remain in the control of an old guard with a very specific agenda and are used to promote that agenda. And most importantly, the two are completely in cahoots -- none of that "watchdog of democracy" crap around here. Let me give a few examples.From time to time, the old guard wishes to weaken mitnachalim and strengthen Palestinians. Here is how it is done. Law enforcement agencies create minor events that portray mitnachalim as dangerous and subversive. This is done, for example, by having provocateurs say or do weird stuff. For instance, they have GSS-agent Avishai Raviv take responsibility for murders of Arabs or perform some bizarre swearing-in rite in a cemetery. Or they get some kids to shout some inanity at a politician (most recently, Bibi Netanyahu and Limor Livnat). Or they take crank letters that have been systematically sent to politicians for many years and announce a major right-wing threat to the safety of our intrepid leaders. Or they issue reports detailing how mitnachalim pillage the treasury by receiving funding for fully-authorized "unauthorized" construction (beats me). The non-story is then fed to cronies in the press and gets pumped up into a major event. The morning headlines blare, the late morning talk shows follow up and the nightly news drives it home. In response, politicians pass laws targeting opponents of the agenda, the law enforcement agencies harrass "suspects", more provocateurs are planted, and the cycle begins anew.

At the same time, Palestinian terrorist activity is downplayed, if not concealed entirely. Tactical lulls in terrorist activity or the failure of terrorists to reach their targets are deliberately and falsely portrayed as strategic shifts. (I remember one classic incident at the height of Oslo, when a terrorist plowed a car into a crowded bus stop near French Hill killing several people. Aryeh Amit, a Jew-baiting polemicist then masquerading as a police commissioner, took to the airwaves to announce that it was a traffic accident at the very same time that his uninformed detectives on the scene were describing it as an obvious terror attack.)I know, I know.

If you're American, you're probably thinking that this sounds paranoid and that in fact all that is happening is that like-minded people with no agenda and no coordination are acting according to their own independently-arrived-at understanding of events. Just like everywhere. If that's what you think, you are wrong on two counts. That's not what is happening here and it's not what happens everywhere. That's how it works in the U.S. with its decentralized media and law enforcement. Here it is coordinated and utterly predictable. Any oleh from Russia can vouch for the familiarity of it all.Here is a prediction (written with a trembling hand). If and when the withdrawal is about to happen and resistance to it needs to be quashed, the shooting of an Israeli soldier by a mitnachel will be arranged. I pray that I'm wrong and you get the chance to say I-told-you-so.

Ben Chorin is no crackpot. If he is fearful of this kind of scenario (which we all pray won't happen), it says alot about the nature of the Press and Public discourse in Israel. For Americans: Think about the Iraq War without Fox News as an alternative.

A Parochial Moment

Anu Ratzim ve-Hem Ratzim...

(Some pictures are beyond words. Thanks to my brother, David, for sending it to me.)

The RCA, Bris Milah and the Orthodox Roundtable

Seventeen years ago, in response to a proposal from, and with the support of, leading lay and rabbinical leaders in the YU World, I initiated and guided (as Executive Chairman) a Modern Orthodox Think Tank called the 'Orthodox Roundtable.' The idea was to push back the frontiers of Halakhic discourse, engage issues that were being avoided, and provide a responsible, God-fearing Modern Orthodox approach to pressing halakhic issues.

During the five years that it functioned, the Roundtable managed to publish some truly ground-breaking papers on subjects like conversion and adoption, smoking, Child Abuse (by Rabbi Mark Dratch), The limits of Parental authority (by Rabbi Reuven Bulka). an annotated responsum by Rav Ovadia Yosef on enforcing sanctions against recalcitrant husbands (a collective effort of Rav Yosef, Rabbi Michael Broyde and myself) and a number of others. The response to our activities was mixed. There was a lot of lay and rabbinic support, and a lot of vitriolic dismay in other circles. Over time, for a combination of reasons, which I might yet write about, the Roundtable ceased operations in 1994.

One of the earliest pieces the Roundtable published was a learned, heavily documented, call for the use of a glass tube by mohalim for the oral suction the Talmud requires be applied to the wound after a Bris Milah (Metzitza). In light of the rise of AIDS and STD's, we thought that the issue wa a mix of Piqquah Nefesh and Qiddush HaShem. Our suggestion was summarily ignored (and not so politely) by muuch of the Orthodox community. Typically, the position was heard such problems belong in the non-religious community, NIMBY.

I"m bringing this up, because today's Jewish Week reports that the RCA has now endorsed the use of a glass tube for Bris Milah. The action comes in the wake of a scandal in New York in which a baby appears to have died from an infection contracted from a mohel who directly used his mouth. (Gil Student has all of the details.) On the one hand, I feel that we are now vindicated ( as we were on the issues of child abuse, adoption/conversion, recalcitrance etc.) I really applaud the RCA for showing leadership while the Haredi world is in deep denial. OTOH, the obtuse response to the Roundtable, in this case, was (at least, indirectly) responsible for a little baby's death. If there had been a responsible response to our call then, if using a glass tube had been required of all mohalim (at least in our circles) this baby might still be alive.

OTOH, the Commentator reports that Rabb M.D. Tendler was savaged by Yated Ne'eman for supporting the use of the tube. Plus ca change...

Siyum HaShas: Daf Yomi Redux

[It's been weeks since I last posted, the result of jet-lag, work load, graduate students and a bout with some bug I picked up somewhere in North America. In order to return to the Blogosphere, I thought it apt to start with Divre Torah.]

I"ve had a long, conflicted relationship with Daf Yomi. I started a number of times, finished Berachos (at least six times, though not with DY) and fell when the cycle reached Shabbos. There were two reasons for this. First, personal discipline. Second, and more importantly, the idea of surfing the 'Yam HaTalmud' didn't seem to suit me. After all, nine and a half years with Rov זצ"ל, leave an imprint for life. In good years, we used to learn between 14 and 20 blatt a year. In the Summers, which in my day were dedicated to Qodoshim, we considered ourselfs lucky if we finished 7 (10 was a max). The reason can be summed up with an anecdote which, even if not true, expresses the philosophy we learned in the Rov's class. The story goes as follows ( I heard it from a friend back in my YU days, a young ilui named R. Shlomo (Stevie) Rosenberg):

In 1960, after undergoing surgery for the removal of a cancerous growth, the Rov resumed his shiurim in Yeshiva. Under doctor's orders, he chose to teach Mishnayos Hallah. The idea was that the material wa less demanding and the shiur would be more for information (beqi'us) than for analysis (iyyun). Studying this relatively short massekhta took much of the year. When asked why this was, the Rov was reputed to have said: Beqi'us is fine but you have to understand, too.

Once I got to Shabbos, the temptation to delve deeper, 'to understand,' was always more than I could handle and so away went my involvement with the Daf Yomi. Last week, I decided to try again. After all, it would be nice to get to parts of Shas that would never be otherwise on my radar. My brother, David, who just finished his first time around, put the rationale as follows. His thought are so beautiful that I wanted to share them (with his permission).

For the past few months, I have been struggling with what I should do post March 2nd, after the Siyum haShas. Should I start learning the daf again or should I go on to something else. I got a lot of different answers; the answers I got depended largely on how people viewed the Daf Hayomi. In the end, I listened to my friend Ephraim who told me that if I didn’t start again, I would have missed the point of the last 7 and a half years.

Not wanting to miss the point of the last 7 years, I started again. But I also didn’t want to admit to Ephraim that I wasn’t quite sure what the point of the last 7 and a half years was. So, as I ended the 11th cycle, I have spent a lot of time trying to understand what Ephraim was telling me. I think the answer lies in understanding what learning the Daf accomplishes and what it does not.

At the beginning of each cycle, many people get caught up in the excitement and inspiration of the event of the Siyum and start to learn the Daf everyday. After a while, many of them stop. They get left by the wayside. I had a conversation with a friend from shul who told me that he felt that learning the daf was not worthwhile. If you couldn’t learn b’iyun then there was no value. In fact after the last Siyum, he was learning in Israel and told his Rebbe that he wanted to learn the Daf. His rebbe told him that if that is what he wanted to do then he needed to learn it with all the Rashi’s and Tosaphos and the Rif and Rosh… You get the idea. Needless to say he didn’t even start.

It was clear that the Rebbe also missed the point of learning the daf. In the title Daf Hayomi one needs to understand that the Ikar is not daf but yomi. It is keva versus kavana. There is a value of learning everyday and feeling the obligation that if you miss a day you are behind and need to make it up. Even in davening, though we have the concept of ‘making up tephila’ we don’t always feel it pressing us.

The daf presents us with an ongoing awareness that we need to learn every day. Rain, shine, sick, well, traveling or at home. Over these past 7 and a half years, I learned the Daf all over the world. In Crete, where I needed 9 others for a minyan, in Hevron, in the Avraham Avinu synagogue and in Amsterdam, Holland. On vacation in Cancun. In Sioux Falls South Dakota. Wherever I went, I brought my G’marah with me. To fall behind, even a little imperils the entire effort.

Learning the daf is a lot like davening. I have gone to shiurim all over the world. I know what everyone is learning. I know where they are holding and I am instantly part of the kahal. I did attend a shiur in Dutch which wasn’t quite as inclusive as I would have liked but, the daf was the same. And it is the same all over the world, people carving out an hour a day to learn the daf.

My cousin Seymour suggested that now that I have gone through it once I should add m’forshim to the learning. I told him that the point was not to make it more time consuming but to keep to the keva. Everyday. That’s what Yomi means. And I think this is the point that my friend Efraim was telling me. If you think the point was to learn shas and then cross it off your list, you are wrong. It is not the product that’s important but the process. Its aim is to work on your avodas hashem as part of klal yisrael. And as such you can’t worry about the insights you miss or the speed at which you cover a sugya.

I tell people that if you can get past daf 5 of Brachos, you can make it to the end of Niddah. Daf 5 holds the secret to learning Daf Yomi. On daf 5 is the ma’aseh that R’ Elazar was ill. R’ Yochanan went in to visit him. He saw that R’ Elazar was crying. R’ Yochanan asked him “why are you crying? If it is because you did not accumulate as much Torah knowledge as you wanted, but we learned in a Mishnah “both the offering of one who gives much and the offering of one who gives little are equally pleasing to the K”BH. Provided he directs his heart to heaven. It is at that daf, that the point of the 7 and a half years is revealed.

Letters of the Rav zt'l

I have been spending the little free time I have reading a wonderful collection of Rav Soloveitchik's letters, entitled: Community, Covenant and Commitment, (Toras HaRav 2005) and edited by my friend, Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot. The letters reveal a passionate, engaged side of the Rav, while simultaneously providing highly suggestive ways in which his core philosophical ideas both developed and found concrete expression. Every letter is a gem, and the translations are first rate (though I wish they would have published the original texts in Yiddish and Hebrew.)

Of special note are the Rav's endorsement of Talmud study for girls, and his remarks about the mission of Einstein Medical School and the desired curriculum at RIETS.

Kulturkampf Now...

In all of the discussion of the political and security elements of the 'disengagement,' even its opponents have largely forgotten that the Left's agenda is as much cultural as political. The desire of the Post-Zionist Left in academia, the media and in government is to detatch itself not only from Falestin but from the Jewish historical heartland and Jewish religio-national memory.
The demonization of religious settlers is part of that effort (since most Jews who live in Yesha are not Orthodox.)

This aspect was recently highlighted by Moshe Dann in an article that appeared on the Arutz Sheva website. Despite the publication venue, many (though, not all) of his points are well taken. If the Jewish State is to survive, it is the solemn obligation of the Religious and traditionalk community to stop bickering and get to work. (Rav Elyashiv's stance on pre-nuptial agreements is exactly the wrong position in this regard.)

Herewith are some salient parts of the piece:

Missing in the debate over Israel's proposed retreat from all or most of Judea, Samaria and Gaza -- the historical and strategic heartland of Israel -- is the context in which that policy has emerged. During the last forty years, secular, Jewish, Israeli Leftists have assaulted Jewish identity, the foundations of Zionism and the institutions of Israeli democracy. They have diminished Jewish content in public education and in daily life, they have attacked the national-religious settlement movement in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, they have politicized the IDF and the courts. They control the media, educational and cultural institutions, and, by and large, Israel's political economy.

The Sharon/Peres plan [Note: I think it's more Peres than Sharon in this regard- JRW] is part of an agenda that seeks to destroy Zionism and replace it with Israelism (nationalism, per se), to transform Jewish nationhood into a secular, pluralistic republicanism (in the Western European tradition), and to maintain control of Israel's political/economic system in order to preserve the interests of the ruling elite. That elite seeks to de-Judaize Israel, to assimilate and integrate into (and hopefully be accepted by) the international community, especially the West, and to stay in power. These are the people who control Israeli banks, newspapers and TV, as well as major industries. This is not sinister or conspiratorial; there is no need for a coup d'etat. This is business as usual.Three main obstacles stand in their way: anti-Semitism, Arab terrorism and the national-religious Zionist camp. The latter, especially the Jews who live in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, are not marginal; they are fully integrated into the fabric of daily life, especially in the IDF. These Jews are rooted in an ideology of Jewish settlement that is basic to Zionism and Jewish consciousness."Disengagement", even if possible, is not only or even primarily intended to separate from Arabs (the external threat), but from the religious Right, "the settlers", who represent an internal threat to Israel's ruling elite. Both Arab and religious, Jewish nationalists -- because they are idealists -- are perceived by the political/economic establishment in Israel as threats to their power. They can't be bought. "Disengagement", therefore, means nothing more than uprooting Jewish communities and allowing Palestinian terrorists a sovereign state in return for, hopefully, international good will.

For the international ruling elites, Israel is an anachronism among states and Zionism is an impediment to assimilation into a world economic structure. Israel is particularistic (nominally Jewish) in a 'pluralistic/universalistic' world; the basis for its existence is a 'homeland for Jews.' That made sense after the Holocaust. Today, it is inadequate and insufficient as an historical reference....Regardless of Palestinian terrorism and incitement, the "inevitability of a Palestinian state" (in Sharon's words) has become an obsession that has paralyzed the government's ability to consider any other options and requires Israel's dependence on American/European and Palestinian good will. That policy comes out of a deeply-rooted belief that the Jewish people do not have the inalienable right to establish their national home in the Land of Israel. Yoram Hazony's book The Jewish State: The Struggle for Israel's Soul laid out in striking detail how Israel's left-wing intellectual "elite" have undermined the basic premises of Zionism. Published just before former Prime Minister Ehud Barak agreed to give Arafat and the PLO almost everything they wanted -- nearly all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, including east Jerusalem and exclusive rights over the Temple Mount -- Hazony exposed a cancer that has eaten away at Israel's raison d'etre as a Jewish state. This "post-Zionist" policy waited only to be implemented. Prime Minister Sharon, who presented himself as a right-wing leader, became its Godfather.

Coincident with Oslo, far-left-wing education ministers cut budgets for teaching about Judaism and introduced pro-Palestinian propaganda in textbooks. Today, Jewish students in Israeli secular schools may graduate knowing little or nothing about their religion or their history. That is a deliberate policy. Israeli universities, with one exception, are bastions of anti-Jewish, leftist propaganda. TV stations, which are primary cultural molders, denigrate Judaism and Jewish values and promote consumerism. Alternative radio stations (like Arutz-7) that provided services and information to supporters of the right were closed (unlike the left-wing's Voice of Peace, or the hundreds of pirate Arab radio stations). Specials laws and penalties have been proposed to prevent expressions of dissent. Legitimate protests are considered criminal acts. New prisons and detention camps are planned for those who resist evacuation. Ministers who disagree with Sharon have been summarily fired. Never before has such arrogance been institutionalized and legitimized. Even institutions which are supposed to prevent such abuse have remained silent. Indoctrinated by Israel's left-dominated media, many Israelis no longer believe in their country and the justice of its cause. Politicians, community leaders and "artists" espouse anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist doctrines that would be considered bigotry if uttered by non-Jews; their insults are carried by a compliant media into every home. Add to all this four years of unremitting terrorist attacks and the result is emotional exhaustion and despair. Sharon has taken advantage of that societal malaise to fragment and demoralize the opposition; but this is not new. The seeds of this denouement can be found decades ago in attempts by Israeli leftists to substitute a form of nationalism for religious faith and a detachment from Judaism. Their attack on Jewish identity, the one common denominator that holds us together, is an attempt to break the connection between Judaism and Zionism. Israeli leaders are unable to express an authentic, proud and definitive Jewish message. Nor have they been able to articulate Israel's place and purpose in Jewish history. They have defended Israel as if it were simply a country like any other -- rather than one that lives on the edge of extinction because it is Jewish. That distinction is crucial: the only reason that the Land of Israel has value is because Jews live in it, because it is central to Jewish consciousness and belief. The culture of Israelism, which spurns Jewish content and has little or no understanding or connection to Judaism, or Israeli history, contains a kind of Judeophobia. Attacking Jews who live in Judea, Samaria and Gaza is an example of the kulturkampf that is tearing apart Israeli society and, with it, the nationalist ideology and religious belief that define and distinguish us. For the Left, that is why the Jews of Judea, Samaria and Gaza have become "The Enemy".

The struggle in Israel over Sharon's policy of retreat is not merely about power, and certainly not "peace", but over Jewish identity and Jewish values. It is ironic that those who support this policy because of their concern for the "Jewish character of Israel" and" Israeli democracy" have so little regard for either at home. Anti-Zionist Leftists have, however, raised important questions. What does Jewish national self-determination mean when so many Israelis reject that premise or have little understanding of it?If Israel is nothing more than a few Jewish symbols and some official recognition of holidays, but without a Jewish content, why does there need to be a State of Israel at all? In order to ensure their control, the ruling elites and their supporters will buy off whomever they can and impoverish the rest until they too give in. They will imprison those who protest and try to break the will of any opposition. In the name of the State, they will try to destroy the Jewish and Zionist ethos that has sustained and inspired us for thousands of years, and brought us back to our homeland. The triumph of the State, wherever it is, can only be meaningful when it expresses the will of the people. Otherwise, it is only another form of repression.

Modern Orthodoxy Redux: After a Week's Travel Coast to Coast

This past week I've found myself travelling from Florida to Montreal-Toronto-Losangeles-New Jersey. Everywhere I went I found wonderful Modern Orthodox communities, struggling to sustain themselves ideologically and institutionally. Warmed by the dedication of the people I met, I became further convinced that our community absolutely must redefine its priorities. It is time to do a number of things and let the chips fall where they may.

1) We have to stop chewing ideology and recast the curricula of our schools to reflect our ideals. We need to include spirituality and thinking into the schools (especially the high schools).

2) We have to reach deeper into our pockets and cultivate educators and rabbis to teach a torah curriculum that matches our values. We have to validate Hinnukh/Rabbonus as careers and pay their salaries as to what they're worth to us. What kind of message do we send when we chintz on educators and pay fortunes to other professionals. God doesn't do miracles for those who don't try.

3) We need to take a long look at ourselves and say: Torah UMadda includes Baba Qamma, not just sophisticated conversation about the implications of Peter Berger's writings for religion. It is Torah that carries Madda, not vice versa.

4) There is an enormous Orthodox and Traditional population that is thirsty for non-Haredi Orthodoxy. I meet them literally everywhere I travel. We are duty-bound to meet their needs. We will have a serious price to pay and serious answers to the Divine Tribunal if we do not.

Democracy, Pravda-Style (oops! Haaretz-style)

I seem to constantly violate my no politics rule. However, some things are just too incredible to let go by without comment.

Haaretz has just published two amazing articles. In the first, it argues against Democracy in the Palestine Authority. In the other, it informs us that referenda are anti-democratic.

I guess democracy is restricted to whatever Amos Schocken and Co. think (such as leaving Yesha and de-judaizing Israel as soon as possible). If you disagree, you're not a democrat.

Pravda could not have done a better job, but Sharansky already knew that.

Torah in Motion

I just completed a two part speaking engagement for one of the most exciting Modern Orthodox initiatives to appear in the past few years. It'd called Torah in Motion and its the brainchild of four bright, dedicated, energetic and devoted individuals in Toronto: Rabbi Jay and Ilana Kelman and Dr. Elliott and Leah Malamet. They describe their mission as follows:

The mission of Torah in Motion is to inspire Jewish living and learning in an open and supportive environment. Our mandate is to organize dynamic and thought-provoking programming through conferences, symposia, special speaker series, and educational seminars, in order to foster a higher level of inquiry and spiritual development. Such programming addresses critical issues of pressing relevance and concern in the Jewish community. We aim to foster a community of passionate Jews sensitively engaged with the modern world through the prism of Jewish law, values and traditions.

Over the past few years, they have put togethe a devoted core-group that has gelled into the nucleus for A Modern Orthodox resurgence in Toronto, where it is very much needed. The intellectual quality of the programs that TIM has hosted and the incredible people it has attracted should make it the envy and model for other such projects throughout the Orthodox community. It is far too rare that one encounters the ideal mixture of Yirat Shamayim, Shmirat Mitzvot and intellectual breadth and sophistication as I encountered during my visit here.

May HaQadosh Barukh Hu help them go from strength to strength. God knows we need many more TIMs in our midst.