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Opinion & Comment
HaRav Wolbe's Attitude to Torah and to Torah Im Derech Eretz

by Yated Ne'eman Staff

In the wake of the recent correspondence in London's Jewish Tribune about HaRav Wolbe's view on Torah- im- Derech Eretz, the following extracts from his sefer Alei Shur (vol. I p. 295) are relevant. It should be noted that the issue here is the view of HaRav Wolbe in light of his background. (The translation is literal, and all bracketed notes are in the original unless otherwise indicated.)

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It is necessary to clarify here a subject about which many are unsure: How to look at the acquisition of general knowledge. Since here it is not possible to deal with the issue exhaustively, we set down very briefly a few fundamental principles:

Looking from the perspective of what concerns the community of Klal Yisroel [as opposed to looking from the individual's perspective (Translator's addition)]:

1. The view of the gaon and tzaddik R. Shamshon Rafael Hirsch zt"l concerning Torah im Derech Eretz was understood by the gedolei Yisroel whose pronouncements are our authority in life to be solely a matter of horo'as sho'oh. [This is a term used by Chazal to describe an action generally forbidden which is allowed and mandatory under some special circumstances prevailing at the time, e.g. sacrificing a korbon outside the Beis Hamikdosh as Eliyohu did on Har Hakarmel. (Translator's note)]

Perhaps this horo'as sho'oh still applies to places and circles where a pure chinuch Torani is not possible — on condition that even there the learning of Torah is the main occupation and acquisition of general knowledge is incidental to it.

2. The true essence of Klal Yisroel, Hashem's nation, is only preserved by a pure "chinuch Torani" without mixing in anything else. The Torah centers where Torah is the sole subject of study are the places worthy of hashro'as HaShechinoh in Yisroel. Thereby, they serve as an example of what constitutes the true essence of Klal Yisroel. Were not even one institution in Klal Yisroel to be left which is totally dedicated to the sole purpose of learning Torah, chas milehazkir, not only would Torah be forgotten chas vesholom, but this would amount to the destruction of the Jewish Nation's true essence. This would be a greater churban than all other churbonos which have befallen our nation.

3. Everyone who believes that Torah is min haShomayim must know and believe that Torah learning is so powerful that it can produce a human being who is truly great and complete both in his relationship with Hashem and with other mortals, a person who has superior understanding and wisdom in heavenly as well as in worldly matters.

4. The name "yeshiva" may only be applied to a mokom Torah in which the students' occupation is focused upon Torah and yiras Shomayim and nothing else.

5. It is a matter of absolute necessity that there are true talmidei chachomim [in every sense that is described in this sefer] in our generation, as indeed is necessary in every generation. As explained previously, this is a matter of life and death for Klal Yisroel. If there are doctors and engineers who are loyal to Torah and emunoh, this is advantageous. However, their absence would not constitute a matter of life and death for Klal Yisroel.

Looking from the aspect of what concerns the individual [as opposed to what concerns the community of Klal Yisroel (translator's note)]:

6. Even in our generation, the acquisition of general knowledge may well cause spiritual danger. This is in addition to the danger of acquiring materialistic ideas which one frequently meets in all spheres of science. Even the mere study towards the diploma of "Bagrut" [Israeli equivalent of A-levels/high school (translator's note)] makes a person aspire to the "Outside World": A career, an honorable position in society, a degree and luxuries. Even a person who afterwards proceeds to devote himself to pure Torah-study will have to overcome many hurdles and difficulties if indeed he wants to acquire Torah.

7. The following is general knowledge necessary for every Jewish person: The language of the country, some understanding of the niflo'os haBorei (the wonders of Creation) which are apparent in nature and especially in the human body, some understanding of history, arithmetic.

8. We have always had great geonim of exceptional quality who had a good grasp of general knowledge. On the other hand, we have as yet never heard of true geonim who have been educated in institutions with a stress on general knowledge. We are referring to the latter generations [as opposed to the Rishonim (translator's note)]. Germany is the proof. The Torah im Derech Eretz system did not succeed in producing even one single gaon [gaon here is meant in the sense of someone of the caliber of the Chofetz Chaim or the Chazon Ish]. Despite being careful to fulfill mitzvos properly, matters reached a situation where Torah-learning was forgotten (matzav shel shikchat haTorah).

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Further explanations by Rav M. Spiro, based on HaRav Wolbe's other seforim:

On section 2.: "The Torah Centers where Torah is the sole subject of study, are the places worthy of hashro'as HaShechinoh in Yisroel." HaRav Wolbe explains this in more detail in his sefer Bein Sheshes Le'osor (p. 80): "Avrohom Ovinu was a zoken and studied in yeshiva." (Yuma 28) Explains Rabbenu Chananel: " `Zekeinim were sitting in yeshiva.' This means to say that the Shechinoh rested upon them." Thus the phrase "yoshev biyeshiva" means "the Shechinoh is with him." And the word "yeshiva" is a synonym of "Shechinoh."

Shechinoh is the revelation of a G-dly light in an individual, deep in the heart, as having reached a certain knowledge not beset by any doubts, as well as the Jewish Nation's path (through history) in a miraculous and wondrous way by virtue of heavenly intervention. The secret of a "yeshiva" is that there the heavenly light is revealed within the human heart and the heart of the multitude who are "sitting in yeshiva."

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"The Torah centers where Torah is the sole subject of study serve as an example of what constitutes the true essence of Klal Yisroel.

HaRav Wolbe explains this in more detail in his sefer Bein Sheshes Le'osor (p. 83): "History teaches us that the existence of the whole nation is dependent upon preserving a certain level of moral purity. Falling below this level spells out a free fall into the depth of destruction. The well-known examples are Rome and Greece and other nations. If we want to continue to exist — who will not understand that opening the taharoh of the nation to invasive forces destroys and obliterates us, chas vesholom.

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On 2) as above, and on 5) If there are doctors and engineers who are loyal to Torah and emunoh this is advantageous.

HaRav Wolbe explains this in even more detail in his sefer Bein Sheshes Le'osor (p. 83): "How strange it is to hear the often-voiced criticism, even by believing Jews: One complains that the yeshiva does not produce chareidi doctors. Another argues that it should give us academic people who know Torah. Another blames the roshei yeshivos for the lack of teachers (of secular subjects). There is no end to the criticism.

Their common denominator is that they have no idea what the essence of a true mokom Torah is. They do not feel that it has a raison d'etre for its own sake. Before the Holocaust, hundreds of thousands of bnei yeshivas guarded the Mishmeres haTorah vehaShechinoh in Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Rumania."

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On 6) " . . . the danger of acquiring materialistic ideas which one frequently meets in all spheres of science."

HaRav Wolbe explains this in more detail in his sefer Bein Sheshes Le'osor (p. 169): "At the beginning of the new era, scientists were still involved with deep belief in the Creator of the World . . . Also Newton, the great physicist (1643-1737) . . . approached his research based on deep belief in the Creator of the world where all mechanical laws are nothing but a means of fulfilling His will. The first one who constructed a mathematical model of the world without any connection to belief was Rene Descartes (1596-1650). This marked the start of a . . . materialistic outlook on the world which claims to explain facts solely upon the basis of what he actually found in his research."


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