And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end (Ecclesiastes 12:12) A pdf version of this essay can be downloaded here [*] Years in brackets refer to an individual’s or book author’s year of birth Thought experiment for the day: Anyone born 1945 would be pushing towards 80 and mostly past their prime. So name any Charedi sefer written by someone born post war that has or is likely to enter the canon, be it haloche, lomdus, al hatorah or mussar. Single one will do for now — IfYouTickleUs (@ifyoutickleus) July 27, 2022 A tweet in the summer which gained some traction asked for a book by an author born from 1945 onwards that has entered the Torah and rabbinic canon or is heading in that direction. I didn't exactly phrase it this way and some quibbled about 'canonisation'. The word does indeed have a precise meaning though in its popular use it has no narrow definition. Canonisation, or ‘entering the canon’ is generally understood to...
Open letter to rabbis banning the internet (Yiddish)
I would love to translate this letter which has been doing the rounds on the internet and if only I found the time. (Any takers?) It was written in response to the New York anti-internet rally in May and a recent incident which scandalised the Satmar enclave in upstate New York when a father of several kids was kicked out of the family home after confessing his atheism to his wife.
Basically the letter blames the ills of the internet’s influence on our society on our rotten education system. If the rabbis are really interested in doing something about the problem, the letter says, they should stop navel gazing, banning and controlling. Instead they should institute some sorely needed reforms, teach children the beauties of a Judaism that isn’t about excluding, banning, beatings, petty disputes and power struggles and our children might not be dazzled and fall for the world outside their ghetto on their first point of encounter.
The question is whether he's actually right (from the perspective of those he's addressing, I mean). It's not like the information he's discussing is new, and even if it is more available than before - is 'opening up' likely to keep more people on the straight and (very) narrow than the tried and tested 'shove everyone's heads in the sand as deep as possible, and give them a whack if they come up for air'?
ReplyDeleteI think the question is, If the writer is atheist, as he says, what hurts him so deeply? why is he not happy that he has found the "truth". Why does he want to open the education to address and battle with this "truth". Why is he not content that the Rabbi's loose the battle and Ultra Orthodox Judaism or even all Judaism goes under?
ReplyDeleteThe answer is simple
ReplyDeleteHis family. Father mother sisters brothers unles aumts first and second cousins grandparents and great gradparets great uncles and aunts chilren and grandchildren. Neices and nephews neighbors and freinds all the people he or she grew up with and who they love and care about
His culture even with total kefirah will not allow him to leave and also not care
As he says. Asai lemanchem im loi lemaineinee
If you find out the truth when you are 23 25 years old you have 2 3kids you cannot leave
And even if you are younger. It takes a very very. Brave person to chuck it and leave all all you love and throw it away
Because you will be ostracized and shunned
Vehaimaiven yuvan