Of Bein HaZmanim and of Rabbi Sorotzkin, a Podcast with Rabbi Mayer Schiller and Rabbi Ben Waxman

Fathom Summary:

Meeting Purpose

Analyze recent Haredi rabbinic statements and their underlying worldview.

Key Takeaways

• Recent rabbinic statements (by R' Aaron Levy, R' Sorotzkin) infantilize yeshiva students, creating a self-serving mythology that elevates their Torah study above all other service, including IDF duty.
• This worldview is rooted in an extreme interpretation of Torah Lishma (study for its own sake), which justifies a positive form of gaiva (pride/arrogance) to maintain social status and insulate the community.
• The resulting cognitive dissonance—e.g., supporting right-wing politics while rejecting the IDF—is enabled by extreme insularity, which fosters ignorance and moral blindness.
• The community's silence on these statements may signal indifference, a response to the perceived ineffectiveness of constant criticism.

Topics

The Problem: Recent Rabbinic Statements

• R' Aaron Levy (Video):
  • Advice: Pamper yeshiva students during Ben Hazmanim (vacation); don't ask them to help or criticize late sleeping.
  • Analogy: Compared students to IDF soldiers returning from a war zone, implying their spiritual struggle is equivalent to physical combat.
• R' Sorotzkin (Mishpacha Podcast):
  • Contradiction: Stated students are "partners with God" for creating a chiddush (new insight), yet also advised parents to tell them to help with dishes if idle.
  • Political Stance: Voting for a Haredi party by choice is "destroying Torah"; the only valid vote is blind obedience to rabbinic instruction.

The Root Cause: An Extreme Worldview

• Positive Gaiva (Pride/Arrogance):
  • The yeshiva system is based on gaiva, a strategy to elevate the status of students who were historically looked down upon.
  • This pride is framed as a necessary tool for waging "war" against external pressures (e.g., army service) and internal competition.
• Extreme Torah Lishma:
  • The worldview stems from R' Chaim Volozhin's interpretation of Torah Lishma as study purely for its own sake, detached from worldly application.
  • Contrast: Other views see Torah Lishma as a guide for life (R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Kotzker) or a means to dveikus (connection to God) (Baal Shem Tov).

The Consequences: Contradictions & Insularity

• Cognitive Dissonance:
  • Politics: Supporting right-wing politics while rejecting the IDF, which executes those policies.
  • Curiosity: Encouraging independence in Torah study while demanding conformity in all other areas of life.
• Infantilization:
  • Treating grown men as children who need to be told whether or not to help at home.
  • Analogy: The Gra vs. Baal Shem Tov debate on prioritizing study over family needs, highlighting the tension between these worldviews.
• Insularity & Denial:
  • Physical separation (Haredi-only cities) fosters ignorance of external realities.
  • Example: A Haredi boy unaware of ongoing conflicts in Israel.
  • Example: MK Maklev's claim that one cannot be both a soldier and a serious learner, despite evidence to the contrary.
  • Example: The Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah's letter to the Supreme Court, rejecting the court's authority while simultaneously engaging with it.

Parashat Ekev: Start Easy!

A BHP Productions video on the Parasha.

https://chat.whatsapp.com/I4CFQwInPXNATfQSMNOeRV

 

Rischa D'Araisa Season 13 Finale: From Micro to Macro: Forgoing and Forgiving

 

Rischa D'Araisa Season 13 Finale:

From Micro to Macro:

Forgoing and Forgiving

in our interpersonal relationships can change our whole society

https://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/120764

The Holiday of the 15th Day of Av (Tu B'Av) - Ta'anit 20b-31a, Uganda Shiur

Uganda Shiur - July 27

VIEW RECORDING - 34 mins (No highlights)

Meeting Purpose

To explore the historical significance and customs of Tu B'Av.

Key Takeaways

• Tu B'Av (15th of Av) was historically a major holiday, second only to Yom Kippur in joy, because it marked the resolution of several national crises.
• Historical resolutions included lifting inter-tribal marriage bans, ending the wilderness generation's deaths, and securing burial for the Beitara dead.
• A central custom was a matchmaking dance, where women in borrowed white garments would dance in vineyards for men to find wives.
• Tu B'Av marks a seasonal shift, signaling the end of summer wood-cutting and the start of longer nights, prompting increased Torah study.

Topics

Historical Significance & Joy

• The Mishnah in Tractate Taanit (30B) states Tu B'Av and Yom Kippur were the two happiest days for the Jewish people.
• The Gemara provides multiple reasons for Tu B'Av's joy, each marking a resolution to a national crisis.

Reasons for Tu B'Av's Joy

• Inter-Tribal Marriage Permitted
  • Problem: A Torah law initially prohibited inter-tribal marriage to prevent inheritance from leaving a tribe's land.
  • Resolution: Sages interpreted the law as applying only to the first generation entering Israel.
  • Outcome: The marriage barrier was removed on Tu B'Av, fostering unity.
• Tribe of Benjamin Reintegrated
  • Problem: The other tribes ostracized Benjamin and swore an oath not to intermarry after a severe incident (Judges 19-21), threatening the tribe's survival.
  • Resolution: Sages interpreted the oath's wording ("none of us") to apply only to the generation that swore it, not their descendants.
  • Outcome: The oath was dissolved on Tu B'Av, allowing intermarriage and saving the tribe.
• Wilderness Generation's Deaths Ceased
  • Problem: As punishment for the Sin of the Spies, 15,000 people died annually on Tisha B'Av for 40 years.
  • Resolution: In the 40th year, no one died on Tisha B'Av. The full moon of Tu B'Av confirmed the calendar was correct, proving the decree had ended.
  • Outcome: God's highest level of prophecy returned to Moses, as the nation was now worthy.
• Pilgrimage to Jerusalem Restored
  • Problem: After the kingdom split, King Jeroboam blocked northern Jews from Jerusalem, forcing worship at golden calves in Bethel and Dan to prevent a return to the southern kingdom.
  • Resolution: The last northern king, Hosea, removed the guards on Tu B'Av, allowing free pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
  • Outcome: Though short-lived before exile, this act was celebrated as a return to unity.
• Beitara Dead Buried
  • Problem: After the failed Bar Kochba revolt, Romans left hundreds of thousands of Jewish dead from the Battle of Beitara unburied for 70 years.
  • Resolution: Romans finally permitted burial on Tu B'Av.
  • Outcome: A blessing was added to the post-meal prayer, thanking God for the bodies not decomposing and for enabling their burial.
• End of Wood-Cutting for the Temple
  • Problem: The Temple required dry, worm-free wood for the altar, which was only available in summer.
  • Resolution: Wood-cutting ceased on Tu B'Av, as the sun's strength weakened and the wood would no longer dry properly.
  • Outcome: A celebration, "the breaking of the axe," marked the end of the season and the trees' respite.

Tu B'Av Customs & Symbolism

• Matchmaking Dance
  • A central custom where women in borrowed white garments danced in vineyards for men to find wives.
  • Modesty: Borrowing clothes ensured no one felt ashamed of their own garments.
  • Ritual Purity: Garments required immersion in a mikvah (ritual bath) before use to ensure ritual purity.
• Women's Messages to Suitors
  • Beautiful: "Set your eyes toward beauty, for a wife is for beauty."
  • Distinguished Lineage: "Set your eyes toward family, for a wife is for children."
  • Less Attractive: "Acquire your purchase for the sake of Heaven, provided you adorn us with golden jewelry."
• End-of-Days Dance of the Righteous
  • A metaphor for the future redemption, where the righteous dance in a circle around God.
  • Symbolism: The circle represents that all sincere paths to God are equally valid and precious, as all points are equidistant from the center.

Tu B'Av's Modern Significance

• Seasonal Shift: Marks the start of shorter days and longer nights.
• Torah Study: Prompts a gradual increase in nightly Torah study.
  • Rationale: Longer nights provide more time for learning.
  • Proverb: "One who adds to his nightly Torah study will add years to his life."
• Preparation for Rosh Hashanah
  • Tu B'Av is 40 days before the 25th of Elul, the day creation began.
  • This aligns with the Gemara's teaching that a heavenly announcement for a future marriage is made 40 days before conception.
  • Conclusion: Tu B'Av is a time to begin preparing and praying for a good year ahead.

Torah Im Derech Eretz: Rabbi Dr Isaac Breuer's Moriah pt 6, State vs Land & People, State Above All

Moriah by Rabbi Dr Isaac Breuer: Part 6, State vs Land & People, State Above All

Meeting Purpose

To analyze Rabbi Dr. Isaac Breuer's philosophy of nation and state.

Key Takeaways

• Nation vs. State: A nation is a historical, synthetic concept defined by shared destiny, not by common language, race, culture, or land. A state is a legal entity with a defined territory, population, and sovereign will.
• The Autonomous State: This state is a "legal personality" with an omnipotent will, independent of its citizens. It is the sole source of law within its borders and claims absolute authority, effectively becoming its own god.
• Justice as a Tool: The autonomous state uses "justice" as a rhetorical tool, especially during crises, but its true highest value is its own existence and power. It will sacrifice justice for its own "greater good."
• Am Yisrael's Uniqueness: Am Yisrael is unique because its identity is defined by the Torah, not by land. This non-Zionist view makes the land of Israel a crucial tool for its mission, but not the mission's defining essence.

Topics

Defining a Nation

Breuer defines a nation as a "synthetic concept," a whole greater than the sum of its parts, with a spiritual component (a "tsar" or angelic official). He rejects common definitions:

• Language: Common language (e.g., US/UK) does not guarantee a single nation.
• Race: No pure race exists; racism is a tool for oppression.
• Culture: Culture is a manifestation, not the essence. The Romani people, for example, have a culture but are not a nation because they lack a "historical ambition."
• Land: Land is a manifestation of national character, but not the defining feature. A nation can survive without its land (e.g., Poland for 200 years).
• Conclusion: A nation is defined by a common historical destiny. Language, race, culture, and land are merely narratives that express this destiny.

Defining the State

Breuer distinguishes a nation from a state, a legal entity with three components:

1. Land of the State (Eretz HaMedina): The defined territory.
2. Nation of the State (Am HaMedina): The population living within the land.
3. Will of the State (Ratzon HaMedina): A sovereign will that unifies the land and people.

The Autonomous State: A Legal Personality

The autonomous state is a "legal personality" with a will independent of its citizens.

• Omnipotent Authority: It is the sole source of law within its borders and claims absolute power.
• Self-Justifying Existence: It severs ties with the laws that created it, making its own existence the highest law.
• "Holy Self": It becomes its own god, demanding absolute loyalty and declaring, "You shall have no other gods besides me."

Justice vs. State Interest

The state uses "justice" as a rhetorical tool, especially during crises.

• Subordinate Value: Justice is not an absolute value; the state's own survival and "greater good" are paramount.
• Cover for Crimes: This ideology can be used to justify atrocities under the guise of patriotism.

Am Yisrael: A Unique Nation

Am Yisrael's definition is unique and distinct from other nations.

• Torah-Centric Identity: Its identity is defined by the Torah, not by the land of Israel.
• Land as a Tool: Eretz Yisrael is a crucial tool for the Jewish people's mission, not the mission's defining essence. This contrasts with religious Zionism, which elevates the land to the central goal.
• "Glorifying Golus": This perspective gives a positive spin to exile, as the nation's identity remains intact through the Torah.