I read this volume again!! Here is a fresh new look and not much different from my review of 2014!!
This is a biography of one of the Torah giants of the 20th century. The book is a well documented, annotated history of the growth of the German Jewish community of Washington Heights in Manhattan. It serves well also as a contribution to the history of American Jewry and how the philosophy of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Torah Im Derech Eretz successfully warded off assimilation in Rav Breuer's community against all odds of the prevailing trends in American Jewry.
Rav Breuer was a successful Rosh Hayeshiva in Germany and well into his late 50s he wrestled the Nazi beast successfully enough to leave Germany and make his way to New York City. He overcame difficult trials and tribulations such that one could see outward miracles occur on his behalf.
Rav Breuer's strength of personality and absolute integrity is highlighted in this well, smoothly written prose. 'Glatt kosher implies Glatt Yosher' represents his demand for ethical integrity that one must be vigilant in fulfilling the commandments not only between one's maker but also among one's fellow human beings. One sees his success in his maturity that he was able to make ethical demands on people since he too applied those same standards upon himself.
When the young American born students came home from Yeshivah questioning the standard of the Mechitza, partition in the synagogue, wanting to add a curtain to make the partition opaque, Rav Breuer denied their request. He argued one can not come in and cast aspersions on complete kosher communities. When one of the community rabbis who did not help in the construction of the Mikva, ritualarium demand to see how water was collected, Rav Breuer was pained by the notion that one could entertain the possibility of nullifying the Kashruth of the mikvah which would put in doubt a whole community's family purity!
I was interested in the interactions between Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin president of Yeshiva College and Rav Breuer since I am a product of RIETS. It was Rabbi Dr. Belkin who was able to secure passage for Rav Breuer in offering a position at Yeshiva College. Rav Breuer was non committal about the offer with the authors claiming that his hesitation was due to the fact that the other Roshei HaYeshiva would have a problem with Rav Breuer joining the staff. With the untimely death of Rabbi Dr. Belkin the offer was never brought up again!
What makes this a lively read is learning how Rav Breuer was not interested in making a typical American synagogue but rather a traditional 'community' or Kehilah with the corporate structure of the old European communities that maintained a school, a free loan society, a court system, a Kashruth agency and Mikva society. As Rabbi Breuer aged and became more and more physically frail he asked that the synagogue add another Rav (not assistant) to split the rabbinical duties. His frailty was only physical, his spiritual strength was nevertheless impressive.
His vision and success is born out of the fact that the success of American Orthodox Judaism now can be traced back to a Torah Im Derech Eretz outlook in almost every American Orthodox community except maybe the Chasidic world.
As a rabbinical student of RIETS, newly married with child I lived in the same building as Cantor Robert Frankel of Blessed Memory and experienced the Kehillah first hand and was able to meet and interact with Rav Shimon Schwab ZTz"L on a regular basis. The Rav never made me feel uncomfortable knowing that my stay at the congregation would be temporary. His sharing of his experience, meeting the Chofetz Chaim had a profound impact on me. Selling my Chometz with Rav Schwab made an indelible mark on me as his radiant smile I can still see!
Monday, June 15, 2020
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Dismantling of America by Thomas Sowell
This book differentiates between political will and factual evidence. This means that the reality of a situation has very little to do with effects of political will. For example, Mr. Sowell explains that there is very little evidence to support systemic racism in America, but that has never impeded the call to arms against racism. The theme of book maintains that slowly over time since the Wilson administration and more speedily since the Obama administration the power of Government has increased to the point that personal freedoms of yesteryear have been curtailed. The country continues to grow a cadre of leftist elites that believe they have the power to impose their will over the masses. Mr. Sowell cites facts to contradict the perceptions of the politicians, however, the political will wins out to smash former personal freedoms. Often the political will creates social problems never intended.
One of the these policies, for example, was the demand for more affordable housing. The government forced banks to lower their standards and allow a borrower to gain a mortgage. The obvious noble largess on the service was noteworthy, however, the chances of banks losing great amounts of money increased was also noteworthy. When indeed borrowers could not pay their mortgages housing went bust! No one remembers anyone taking responsibility for the fiasco. Congressman Barney Frank decided not to seek re-election. The real reason? He would lose - he actually was a prime mover in the affordable housing 'bust'.
Mr. Sowell also points out that when government call out 'gifts' or 'free stuff' or 'affordable' healthcare, he shows that there is never anything free! Usually taxes are raised and the public suffers in another way. Another theme of the book: "there are no free lunches!" The Affordable Healthcare bill is a case in point that although the public was told that one's healthcare premiums would be lower, the actual premiums consistently rose until the bill was put into place.
Another issue that the author brings up is the minimum wage. The demand of a reasonable wage is very desirable. No one believes in the exploitation of the worker. Nevertheless, the evidence shows that minimum wage laws actually reduce the number of jobs and create more unemployment. The argument is quite simple. If an employer must raise his minimum wage creating a situation that a non skilled job is worth half of what the employer must pay he will automatically reduce his labor force to get his money's worth. On the other hand, without a minimum wage more people will be employed and the chances rise that the minimum worker will be able to train and learn more skills on the job and advance. Mr. Sowell points out that historically the minimum wage laws were actually originally put in place to stifle employment of ethnic workers. (The progressive president Woodrow Wilson was a bigot and suggested the minimum wage to eliminate workers of African American descent)
The author has some observations about slavery. He points out that the USA was not the only place in the world to enslave others. he points out that slavery was actually a world problem. But it is Western Civilization that abolished slavery. What makes slavery in the USA unique is that the issue was problematic from the moment the country was founded! The issue was constantly debated from the beginning and finally was eliminated.
The book makes observations about the 'greed of Wall Street'. The executives on Wall Street make too much money! They somehow are terrible people. But somehow the entertainment industry is exempt from the accusation of 'greed' even though entertainers make sometimes more than the Wall Street executives. The desire to be compensated according the market seems only one sided. Making money from the Movies does not make greed but making money on Wall Street does make greed?!
Thomas Sowell is a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, his books are cogent arguments for limited government, a less intrusive government, making worthwhile reading.
One of the these policies, for example, was the demand for more affordable housing. The government forced banks to lower their standards and allow a borrower to gain a mortgage. The obvious noble largess on the service was noteworthy, however, the chances of banks losing great amounts of money increased was also noteworthy. When indeed borrowers could not pay their mortgages housing went bust! No one remembers anyone taking responsibility for the fiasco. Congressman Barney Frank decided not to seek re-election. The real reason? He would lose - he actually was a prime mover in the affordable housing 'bust'.
Mr. Sowell also points out that when government call out 'gifts' or 'free stuff' or 'affordable' healthcare, he shows that there is never anything free! Usually taxes are raised and the public suffers in another way. Another theme of the book: "there are no free lunches!" The Affordable Healthcare bill is a case in point that although the public was told that one's healthcare premiums would be lower, the actual premiums consistently rose until the bill was put into place.
Another issue that the author brings up is the minimum wage. The demand of a reasonable wage is very desirable. No one believes in the exploitation of the worker. Nevertheless, the evidence shows that minimum wage laws actually reduce the number of jobs and create more unemployment. The argument is quite simple. If an employer must raise his minimum wage creating a situation that a non skilled job is worth half of what the employer must pay he will automatically reduce his labor force to get his money's worth. On the other hand, without a minimum wage more people will be employed and the chances rise that the minimum worker will be able to train and learn more skills on the job and advance. Mr. Sowell points out that historically the minimum wage laws were actually originally put in place to stifle employment of ethnic workers. (The progressive president Woodrow Wilson was a bigot and suggested the minimum wage to eliminate workers of African American descent)
The author has some observations about slavery. He points out that the USA was not the only place in the world to enslave others. he points out that slavery was actually a world problem. But it is Western Civilization that abolished slavery. What makes slavery in the USA unique is that the issue was problematic from the moment the country was founded! The issue was constantly debated from the beginning and finally was eliminated.
The book makes observations about the 'greed of Wall Street'. The executives on Wall Street make too much money! They somehow are terrible people. But somehow the entertainment industry is exempt from the accusation of 'greed' even though entertainers make sometimes more than the Wall Street executives. The desire to be compensated according the market seems only one sided. Making money from the Movies does not make greed but making money on Wall Street does make greed?!
Thomas Sowell is a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, his books are cogent arguments for limited government, a less intrusive government, making worthwhile reading.
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Rav Avigdor Miller: his life and his revolution by Yaakov Y. Hamburger
This very readable biography of one of the giants of Slabodka Mussar of the past generation inspires and teaches that anyone can grow to great lengths with organization and a plan.
Rabbi Miller was an American born Torah scholar from Baltimore and after taking advantage of the truly only advanced yeshiva at the time RIETS and realizing that that institution was going in a direction he disagreed, he decided on a course of European study that took him to Eastern Europe to study at the famed Yeshiva of Slabodka. Although by the time he arrived at the yeshiva, the Alter of Slabodka had since passed away, Rabbi Miller nevertheless absorbed everything that the Alter represented and grew into a well developed Torah scholar. With the second world war looming and the American consulate recommending all American citizens leave Lithuania, Rabbi Miller and his new wife returned to America where he began an amazing innovative rabbanus that changed many lives. His rabbanus started out as a Mashgiach, the spiritual guide in Yeshiva Chaim Berlin under the direction of Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner, a student of the Alter of Slabodka and then as a community rav in East Flatbush, Brooklyn and then in Flatbush of Brooklyn.
Rabbi Miller was an extremely orderly and organized individual. He was consistent in his behavior and stressed 'simchas Hachaim' the joy of living. He stressed the importance of counting one's blessings and thanking the Lord for all His kindnesses. He was innovative in calling his synagogue a
'Torah Center' to stress that the purpose of a synagogue is not gathering together (church) but rather a place to study Torah! So his synagogue had constant learning going on. This also reflected the vision of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, the founder of the Mussar Movement - the Torah movement to stress personal growth and ethical behavior, Beis Mussar for the layman. Rabbi Miller utilized the tape recorder to disseminate his Torah teachings. He understood the power of technology could revolutionize the size of a class.
He stressed the 'Torah only' world outlook. He despised American culture but actually understood it well to be able to address the emerging, new penitent. He despised the medium of Television arguing that nobody would want to be told what is important and what is not - that the influence of the TV was like an uninvited guest to one's home. The rabbi saw the total immodesty of the American world and actually banned the reading of any books written after 1920 in his family due to the rising bawdiness in literature. He also saw the philosophy of the theory of Evolution as heresy and a negation of the belief in the Creator. Many of his books include counter arguments to Evolution and he wished that religious scientists would reject such an idea instead of trying to reconcile science with Evolution. He also saw the study of history as antithetical to the Jewish world outlook because he understood that historicism creates independent values that clash with traditional Jewish values. He enjoyed citing Josephus as proof that the study of History is problematic because Josephus was actually sponsored by the Roman Caesar. He could not be trusted - although Josephus acknowledges that the Jewish people value the words of the Pharisees. Calling them a 'sect', however, is a complete distortion of the role that they played in the nation.
Rabbi Miller was almost deliberately dogmatic in his views to teach that Judaism has absolute truths. He reflected and personified the ultimate Baal Mussar of the Mussar movement. One should not forget, however, there are other legitimate approaches eg. Chasidic approach, or Sephardic approach etc. even a less Mussar approach. One cannot, however, dismiss this approach. One must remember that the great Yeshivahs of America: Beis Midrash Gevoha, Lakewood, Ner Yisroel, Baltimore, Yeshivas Chaim Berlin, NY were products of the Yeshiva of Slabodka!
Rabbi Avigdor Miller marveled at Hashem's genius and at his creation. His famous lesson of the apple seed - that the tiny seed had all of the ingredients to reproduce more trees and fruit was an eye opener. He taught one to appreciate Hashem's kindness and to thank Him always and as a result one would lead a happy life.
This book is a very worthwhile read, inspiring to let one 'set time for Torah study'!
Rabbi Miller was an American born Torah scholar from Baltimore and after taking advantage of the truly only advanced yeshiva at the time RIETS and realizing that that institution was going in a direction he disagreed, he decided on a course of European study that took him to Eastern Europe to study at the famed Yeshiva of Slabodka. Although by the time he arrived at the yeshiva, the Alter of Slabodka had since passed away, Rabbi Miller nevertheless absorbed everything that the Alter represented and grew into a well developed Torah scholar. With the second world war looming and the American consulate recommending all American citizens leave Lithuania, Rabbi Miller and his new wife returned to America where he began an amazing innovative rabbanus that changed many lives. His rabbanus started out as a Mashgiach, the spiritual guide in Yeshiva Chaim Berlin under the direction of Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner, a student of the Alter of Slabodka and then as a community rav in East Flatbush, Brooklyn and then in Flatbush of Brooklyn.
Rabbi Miller was an extremely orderly and organized individual. He was consistent in his behavior and stressed 'simchas Hachaim' the joy of living. He stressed the importance of counting one's blessings and thanking the Lord for all His kindnesses. He was innovative in calling his synagogue a
'Torah Center' to stress that the purpose of a synagogue is not gathering together (church) but rather a place to study Torah! So his synagogue had constant learning going on. This also reflected the vision of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, the founder of the Mussar Movement - the Torah movement to stress personal growth and ethical behavior, Beis Mussar for the layman. Rabbi Miller utilized the tape recorder to disseminate his Torah teachings. He understood the power of technology could revolutionize the size of a class.
He stressed the 'Torah only' world outlook. He despised American culture but actually understood it well to be able to address the emerging, new penitent. He despised the medium of Television arguing that nobody would want to be told what is important and what is not - that the influence of the TV was like an uninvited guest to one's home. The rabbi saw the total immodesty of the American world and actually banned the reading of any books written after 1920 in his family due to the rising bawdiness in literature. He also saw the philosophy of the theory of Evolution as heresy and a negation of the belief in the Creator. Many of his books include counter arguments to Evolution and he wished that religious scientists would reject such an idea instead of trying to reconcile science with Evolution. He also saw the study of history as antithetical to the Jewish world outlook because he understood that historicism creates independent values that clash with traditional Jewish values. He enjoyed citing Josephus as proof that the study of History is problematic because Josephus was actually sponsored by the Roman Caesar. He could not be trusted - although Josephus acknowledges that the Jewish people value the words of the Pharisees. Calling them a 'sect', however, is a complete distortion of the role that they played in the nation.
Rabbi Miller was almost deliberately dogmatic in his views to teach that Judaism has absolute truths. He reflected and personified the ultimate Baal Mussar of the Mussar movement. One should not forget, however, there are other legitimate approaches eg. Chasidic approach, or Sephardic approach etc. even a less Mussar approach. One cannot, however, dismiss this approach. One must remember that the great Yeshivahs of America: Beis Midrash Gevoha, Lakewood, Ner Yisroel, Baltimore, Yeshivas Chaim Berlin, NY were products of the Yeshiva of Slabodka!
Rabbi Avigdor Miller marveled at Hashem's genius and at his creation. His famous lesson of the apple seed - that the tiny seed had all of the ingredients to reproduce more trees and fruit was an eye opener. He taught one to appreciate Hashem's kindness and to thank Him always and as a result one would lead a happy life.
This book is a very worthwhile read, inspiring to let one 'set time for Torah study'!
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