[Avodah] The Legacy of RSRH, Zt'L

[Prof. Levine via Avodah]

At 05:52 PM 4/20/2015, RN Toby Katz wrote:
>
>I am grateful to RYL (Prof. Levine) for making this pamphlet available  to
>the public as a pdf.  However I note that he is often highly critical of
>the charedi world, and I believe that R' Hirsch would emphatically not have
>agreed with him.  He would have honored and cherished the talmidei  chachamim
>who devote their lives to limud haTorah, and would have educated his
>balabatim to take pride in the zechus of financially supporting the 
>"black hat"
>yeshivos.

This is pure speculation on your part.  I believe that RSRH would 
have agreed with my views on this matter.  Of course,  this is pure 
speculation on my part.

He certainly would not have agreed with the idea of not working to 
support one's family.  See my article

"<http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/front-page/the-obligation-to-support-a-family/2015/02/18/0/?print>The 
Obligation to Support a Family"  The Jewish Press, February 18, 2015, 
front page.

and the extensive quotes I have there from the writings of Rav Dr. 
Joseph Breuer,  ZT"L,  who was, of course,  a grandson of RSRH and 
the foremost expositor of TIDE during his life time.

>
>I would also note that R' Hirsch would certainly not have shared RYL's dour
>  view of present-day Eretz Yisrael.  True, all the flaws and failings of
>Zionism are abundantly on display in the modern Medinah.  But at the same
>time, it takes an almost willful blindness not to see the 
>incredible  miracles
>that have been taking place there over the past sixty years or so. Not  the
>least of these miracles is a flourishing of Torah scholarship, be'eichus
>uvekamus, the likes of which has not been seen since the churban Bayis
>Sheni.  We owe at least a small measure of gratitude to the 
>Zionist  government
>that helps provide the infrastructure for the Torah community to  flourish,
>and a huge measure of gratitude to the Ribono Shel Olam for allowing  us to
>live in a time in which the beginning of kibbutz galuyos is taking place
>before our eyes.  The sight of thousands of men, young and old, from all
>corners of the world, streaming into the Mirrer Yeshiva each day, gives us  a
>little foretaste of what it will be like to visit the Third Bais  Hamikdash.

Again,  I have to disagree.  I suggest you read Rav Breuer's writings 
about EY in the book A Unique Perspective under the heading Eretz Yisroel.

The following are some excerpts from his essay The State of Israel.

The proclamation of a Jewish state would bring great joy to all
the members of our people, if conditions were such that we could
feel justified to call it a Kiddush Hashem. It pains us to say, and we
have no illusions, that for the time being this is not the case. For
every Torah-true Jew the word Kiddush Hashem is his utmost concern,
while Chillul Hashem leaves him trembling. Thus the establishment
of a Jewish state will fill him with misgivings and alarm.

Anyone who is imbued with the eternal truth and validity of
God's Torah will have to be aware that a state on God's holy soil
will only be able to endure if the conditions that God has set down
for a Jewish state on His holy soil are met. These conditions apply
to the Jewish entity and to the life of every individual who declares
himself a member of God's People.

Again,  please read Rav Breuer's essays on Eretz Yisroel in this book.

Also,  please read Rav Shimon Schwab's essay Zion or Zionism that I 
have placed at 
http://web.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/zion_or_zionism.pdf  Rav 
Schwab was most certainly a proponent of TIDE and the approach of RSRH.

YL


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