[Avodah] chaplains

[Richard Wolpoe]

On Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 2:20 AM, Eli Turkel <eliturkel at gmail.com> wrote:

> <<My father was never an army chaplain (and didn't approve of Orthodox
> Jews taking that job, which involves almost inevitable halachic
> compromises) but was very involved with Jews in the military, especially
> when we lived in Newport News -- where there are several nearby military
> bases.  I mention this only to point out that not serving in the
> chaplaincy does not mean abandoning Jewish servicemen.>>
>
> Newport News is near Langley Airforce Base and also Norfolk Naval Base.
> In fact these days LAFB no longer has a local chaplain but uses one of
> the town rabbis.
>
> However, not every large and certainly not the smaller bases are near
> an orthodox community. Should we only help Jewish servicemen
> who happen to end up at bases near a orthodox shul?
>
> Being a rabbi out of town also involves compromises.
> One of the major differences between RZ and charedi attitudes
> in Israel concerns taking jobs that involve halachic questions.
> Should a good orthodox ma/woman avoid being a
> policeman, fireman or even doctor because these professions
> require occasional work on shabbat (though mutar) and because
> the professions lead to many questions.
> Should we build a society based on chilonim or goyim to fill
> all professions that involve many halachic questions?
>
>
> --
> Eli Turkel


My Yoreh Dei'ah Rebbe. R Y Weiss, recommended that we take jobs out-of-town.
keiruv is impossible w/o that attitude.  Besides the Tzaddik-in-peltz
attidute in staying in a "frum" community, there are other drawbacks.

Mei-inyana d'yyoma when the Yehuddim were originally sent into Golah, HKBH
arranged that  the Talmidei Hachamim went FIRST to make Yeshivos in Bavel
ahead of the masses. [v'es Yeshuda shalach lefanav...]
The reverse occurred itneh Bavel we call America. The Talmide Hachahmim came
later and lost millions of Jews to assimlation.  It is really important for
cadres of learned Jews be pioneers NOT followers.

I salute Rabbis Isaac Swift, Macy Gordon, Benjy Yudin, Eugene Kwallwasser
et.. al. as well as some Ba'alei Battim e.g.the late Aaron Rosenbaum OBM]
who paved the way for Torah Judaism in Bergen County.

And if  pioneers - simlar to the ones listed above - didn't do [by the Grace
of G-d] the same in Hartford, I would probably not be frum today.

-- 
Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
see: http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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