Two stories not long ago printed in the newspapers show a
widespread distortion of values. Ever since the Reform,
Zionist, and Haskalah leaders began to prevent Torah leaders
from guiding the Jewish Nation, these anti-religious elements
have uprooted hundreds of thousands from Torah observance.
There are others who, though perhaps partially observant,
have adopted a form of warped behavior, according to their
own notions of what the Jewish tradition is. By many, such a
way of life has created radical internal contradictions. Even
people behaving in an immoral way can still believe --
surprisingly -- that they "observe tradition."
Some examples are instructive.
Police detectives recently revealed details
of two criminal incidents that demonstrate this acute
contradiction in values. The first concerned the gang of
lawbreakers, the "Ramat Amidar gang," who waged fierce blood
feuds with gangsters of Pardes Katz (both areas are located
near Bnei Brak).
Police investigators found out from a gang member where they
had met to plan their last crime: inside the local
shul on erev Rosh Hashanah! In the middle of
formulating their strategy they decided to recheck their
target. They went to the scene of the future crime and looked
him over carefully.
In the middle of this, one of the gang remarked that they
must hurry to finish their "business" so as to be back on
time for Selichos. They immediately returned to their
shul and said Selichos with everyone else.
After Selichos, they went back to planning their
crime.
In another case, on Shabbos morning at the
beginning of Iyar a man was found, shot dead, in an apartment
in Bnei Brak. Investigators could determine that the murdered
man was a robber who had attempted to break into the empty
houses, but they did not know who shot him and why. The
police recognized the dead man as a well known burglar.
Recently, his partner in crime admitted to having shot him.
He said he could not bear seeing his partner steal on Shabbos
and had often demanded from him to refrain from doing so.
Since he knew that his partner was continuing to rob houses
on Shabbos, he followed him one time and took along a gun.
Early in the morning he caught him red-handed in a stairway
of an apartment house in Bnei Brak -- and shot him.
Police had difficulty believing this story, but the murderer
told them he had buried the gun in the graveyard at the end
of Chazon Ish Street between two tombstones. He took them to
the hiding place and pulled the gun out from underneath the
ground.
"He gave me a real headache!" complained the murder suspect.
"It is unthinkable that people go to shul early on
Shabbos in the morning while such a person would empty out
their homes."
This is what the murderer told the astounded policemen. He
decided to shed blood on Shabbos for the sake of Shabbos
observance!
These are certainly extreme examples of
perverted "traditionalism," definitely not representative of
the rule. Nonetheless, everyone has surely encountered
different forms of wrong religious practice by unfortunate,
dreadfully ignorant Jews. They have created for themselves a
new "religion," not regulated by the Shulchan Oruch
but by their heart's feelings and perhaps by family
"folklore."
In October 1999, on a Shabbos, there was a terrible bus
accident in Israel resulting in many deaths and injuries. One
of the survivors told the newspapers the following: "This all
happened after it began raining. We heard the rain outside
the bus. The tour guide opened a siddur and began
reading aloud together with us the tefillah for
rain."
We do not know which tefillah for rain was meant:
perhaps mentioning or requesting of rain in Shemonah
Esrei or the tefillah we say on Shemini
Atzeres. In any event, the story proves how distorted
this "traditionalism" can be. Is reading a tefillah
for rain from a siddur while riding on a bus on
Shabbos not absurd?
We must distance ourselves from any phony yiras
Shomayim that is detached from halocho and from
expressing spiritual feelings which are mixed with utter
ignorance. "A boor cannot be fearful of sin; an unlearned
person cannot be pious" (Ovos 2:5). Goodwill,
righteous intentions, and a warm heart are insufficient.
Without Torah knowledge, without being completely attached to
Torah and halocho, a person may well be a "fan of
tradition" but behave in a terribly distorted manner.
Chazal teach us that it is not true to say "there is no harm
in trying" to be religious, and we should at least be glad
that there are "good intentions." Sometimes an ignorant Jew
who wants to behave according to Judaism causes grave harm.
Chazal (Tosefta Brochos 6:23) draw this moshol
for us: "This can be compared to a flesh-and-blood king who
commanded his slave to cook for him but the slave had never
cooked anything in his life. The end result was that the
slave burned his stew and agitated his master."
The gemora (Shabbos 63a) tells us to take pains
in detaching ourselves from ignorance combined with excessive
piety since it is likely to have a detrimental influence on
our environment. "Do not live in the same neighborhood with
an am ho'oretz who is a chossid." Rashi
(ibid.) explains that an ignorant person "does not
know how to be careful in doing mitzvos. His piety is
imperfect -- and eventually you will learn from him."
We are living in a generation where light and
darkness function together in disarray. Anti-religious Jews
are trying to destroy all Torah values while the Torah World
is, bli ayin hora, flourishing. It is evident that
many Jews between these two extremes are drawing closer to
Torah observance. Some are zoche to become complete
baalei teshuvah: they adhere carefully to mitzvos and
set aside regular times for Torah study. They have become
part and parcel of the Torah-true camp. Much of the credit,
of course, goes to the many organizations active in
kiruv work for this blessed development.
At the same time it is impossible to ignore the growth of
spiritual thorns, some of which are "institutes" for the
study of Kabbalah and/or various "miracle makers."
Many Jews retain a "symbolic connection" to Judaism and are
"lovers of tradition," and "Jews in their heart." The common
denominator is their self-deceit, which is usually caused by
utter ignorance. This lack of knowledge allows them to feel
they are "doing something Jewish" and "paying their dues"
albeit in a partial and perverted way.
"Behold days are coming, says Hashem Elokim, when I
will send a famine in the land, not a famine for bread, nor a
thirst for water, but for heeding the words of Hashem"
(Amos 8:11). HaRav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman zt'l,
the rav of Ponevezh, explained that the novi compares
the spiritual hunger that will be in the ikvesa
demeshicha to material hunger. When people are starving,
craving for a piece of bread, they go out of their minds.
They even search for food in garbage cans and lick
unsatisfying dregs and peels.
It is important that we do not delude ourselves and realize
that this is what is going on. We must see clearly what is
happening. We cannot treat as a priceless treasure every
slight expression of "traditionalism." Sometimes the pseudo-
religious and semi-religious acts stem from a habitual, knee-
jerk pattern of behavior or from empty "traditionalism" with
its numerous deformities.
Let us remember the incidents mentioned above. Any chareidi
Jew visiting the gang's local shul would have seen
many Jews who did not appear to be highly observant,
nonetheless enthusiastically saying Selichos with the
traditional piyutim and melodies, and might have been
moved by such an inspiring sight. Unfortunately, he would not
have known that in that particular case some of those fervent
mispalelim were a band of criminals taking a break
from planning a new crime that to observe their "tradition."
They do what they learned from their fathers, mechanically
and automatically, without even minimal thought about the
revolting contradiction between the meaning of the
Selichos and their disgraceful behavior.
Although this case is extreme, each one of us has doubtless
encountered many incidents of perverted traditionalism. For
some people, listening to startling droshos about
harsh punishments in Gehennom has become an integral
part of their lives. After each mention of Divine
retaliation, Rachmono litzlan, they scream in fright
and astonishment.
A ben Torah who would just happen to be in the
audience and see and hear their dramatic response to the
drosho would probably assume that these people would
turn over a new leaf, do teshuvah, and become truly
Torah-observant.
Reality is completely different. They hear the fiery words of
mussar but afterwards revert to their indifference.
This has become part of their daily routine: they hear
droshos, praise the speakers effusively, even
continually play these droshos on cassettes in their
cars rather than shrill music, but do not connect what they
have heard to their deeds.
The rebbe, R' Klonimus Kalmish of Piaztzna zt'l
in Hachshoras HaAvreichim (ch. 5) gives us a sharp
analysis and penetrating explanation of what happens within
the nefoshos of such people. "They have developed a
sort of pleasure to hear and become excited by sharp,
stinging mussar. It is similar to those who love to
drink strong alcoholic beverages or boiling hot drinks and
are thrilled when their throats burn. They are scorched by
what we tell them but will make no effort to react."
Contemplating the harmful lifestyles,
dangerous influences, and behavior patterns that our Torah
sages disapprove of, necessitates an analysis of such
saddening occurrences.
Chazal teach us to distance ourselves from a rosho and
his damaging influence and we therefore separate ourselves
from those who have thrown off the yoke of the Torah. Not
everyone, however, internalizes Chazal's warning against the
detrimental effects of "an unlearned person who is
scrupulously pious," and about whom is written the statement
of the gemora (Shabbos 63a): "You should not
live in the vicinity of an unlearned, scrupulously pious
person."
Even bnei Torah and talmidei chachomim are
liable to be badly effected by the ignorance and
superficiality of such a neighbor. Rashi (ibid.)
explains that an ignorant person "does not know how to be
careful in doing mitzvos. His piety is imperfect -- and
eventually you will learn from him." A Jew who clings to
Torah and mitzvos usually feels himself secure and even mocks
the ignorance and shallowness of such an am ho'oretz.
He certainly does not feel threatened by him. Chazal,
however, with their perceptive look, determine that each one
of us is liable to be contaminated by the lack of Torah study
and proper lifestyle of the "pious" am ho'oretz.
This refers not only to extreme cases of traditionalism
coupled with a lack of Torah learning and sharp deviation
from halocho, as mentioned before. Our Sages teach us
that bnei Torah must guard against all popular
feelings and superficial thought which, though perhaps not
considered as swerving from explicit halochos,
nevertheless cause a blurring of hashkofo.
A letter entitled "The Issur of Listening to Various
Media Channels" is to be found in the sefer of letters
of HaRav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz shlita, a member of
the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah in Eretz Yisroel. In this letter,
written some four years ago, HaRav Lefkowitz writes:
"Doubtless it is ossur to use [a radio], and surely it
should not enter a Jewish home, and certainly not a house of
a ben Torah for several reasons:
"1) It is almost certain that he will listen to secular
topics too;
"2) Who can possibly ensure that the Torah programs are not
combined with matters which need checking as to their
correct, pure Torah outlook. This especially refers to
songs;
"3) Even if this is kosher, why do we need to use such
destructive means that have killed so many Jewish
nefoshos, caused Jews to discontinue observing the
Torah, and awakened all types of specious views and hatred?
How can one use such destructive means? The gemora
(Avoda Zorah 16b) writes about distancing oneself from
minus. Also one will benefit from studying the
introduction to HaSefer HaMekach VeHamemkar of Rabbenu
Hai Gaon z'l that was recently printed."
HaRav Lefkowitz adds that, of course, when one is engrossed
in hearing and analyzing the news and the like, even with a
hechsher, there is always the chance they will remove
him from his Torah study. We are, however, focusing on the
second reason of: "Who can ensure that the Torah programs are
not combined with matters that need checking as to their
correct, pure Torah outlook. This refers especially to
songs."
It is unnecessary to write at length nor explain that it is
almost impossible that one will not hear some items of non-
Torah outlook. No one can control what is being said into the
microphone.
We should at this point add even some lectures and cassettes
intended for the secular public are not for bnei
Torah. Even in those that are under the strict
supervision of talmidei chachomim, it is
understandable that some of what is intended for kiruv
of secular people should not to be heard by bnei
Torah. Sometimes there are problems with content, while
at other times it may be just style and ways of expression
that are inappropriate. The bottom line is that they are not
intended for bnei Torah.
The whole essence of a ben Torah is one who elevates
himself far above the general public, in yiras
Shomayim, in Torah study, and in a profound and analytic
approach to all of life. Popular views and popular style are
opposed to the internal world of a ben Torah. It is
also possible that the sheer superficiality of some
shiurim intended for the secular public will damage a
yeshiva student, as is stated in Chazal "eventually you will
learn from him."
R' Moshe Shoenfeld zt'l in an article (published in
Digleinu 5713, and copied in Hashkofoseinu 5)
writes that every movement and political party must protect
itself from being dragged after the masses. It must be
apprehensive that perhaps it is "unable to elevate the
general public, but will decline because of them." He adds
that "the masses always destroyed all that is good in the
most sublime movements known to mankind. Many times the
gedolei Chassidus complained of what the masses did to
chassidus because of their crudeness and materialism."
In that article he writes at length about the obligation of
each Torah group to distance itself and beware of being
influenced by the masses. What he writes has immense value
for us today too.
A little light pushes away much darkness. As
much as we disseminate deep Torah study, dikduk in
halocho and yiras Shomayim, so will the clouds
of popular and superficial ideas be scattered. It is surely
the duty of those engaged in zikui horabim and
kiruv to combat the perversions of the traditionalism
to which our Torah sages are opposed.
We must encourage the people who are coming nearer to Judaism
not to be satisfied with the little they have heard. They
must strive for Torah in its entirety and to reach a high
degree of halachic observance and Torah study. They should
not remain content with Shabbos and Yom Tov visits to
shul and listening to droshos that leave them
with no practical impression. (It is well known that
maranan verabonon shlita have told us that the
main sphere of activity for kiruv rechokim should be
encouraging them to set permanent times for Torah study, for
studying gemora together with a chavrusa.
Studying shor shenogach in Bovo Kama is the
antidote against the yetzer hora and the momentum for
a strengthening of emunah.)
Notwithstanding, the Torah World must buttress itself against
any popular influence and superficiality that are liable to
imbue us with perverted outlooks. As Rashi explains, the
ignorant person "does not know how to be careful in doing
mitzvos. His piety is imperfect -- and eventually you will
learn from him."
