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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>Subject: Re: [Areivim] Seeing the Swiss Alps<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>On Areivim, R' Yitzchak Levine posted something about Hirsch urging his
students to see the Alps -- his famous line, HKB'H will ask you, "Have you seen
My Alps?"</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>And then there were a series of responses, the flavor of which you can see
here:</DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>From: R' Moshe Feldman..<BR> >> I have never heard an EY gadol
encourage<BR>people to leave EY in order to see the wonders of nature.
<<<BR><BR><BR>From: "SBA" <sba@sba2.com><BR>From R' SBA:
>> Has anyone heard of ANY gadol besides RSRH encourage seeing the wonders
of<BR>nature?<BR><BR>BTW, last year we visited the South Island of New Zealand.
<BR>IMHO, if it was located in Europe, it would strongly challenge the Alps
for<BR>its scenery and beauty. <<<BR><BR>----</FONT></DIV><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>From: "Danny Schoemann" <A
href="mailto:doniels@gmail.com">doniels@gmail.com</A><BR><BR>>> I believe
that the Swiss Alps simply have better PR than the Israeli
hilltops.<BR><BR><BR>....The local scenery is Hashem's showcase since its His
palace, though in<BR>places it's desolate due to the Churban... but we have no
PR.<BR><BR>Do you really think Hashem prefers you to boost the Swiss
economy<BR>rather than admire His own country?<BR><BR>- Danny, surrounded by the
magnificent Judea hilltops<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>>>>>>>></DIV>
<DIV>[So here now is my response, which I have decided belongs on Avodah rather
than Areivim]</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>People, people, people!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1. First of all, everybody here is taking Hirsch's remark about the
*Swiss Alps* WAY too literally. Do you really think he meant that if you
live in the US and have an opportunity to see the Rockies, or that if you live
in Peru and can look at the Andes, or that if you have a chance to visit New
Zealand and see the beautiful scenery there, or that if you have a chance to see
the Himalayas -- that you should forsake all these mountains and DAVKA go
to Switzerland?! </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>And kal vechomer do you think that if a person is living in Yerushalayim,
surrounded by the Harei Yehuda, that Hirsch would have told him to go visit
Switzerland?! I am tearing my hair out from sheer frustration.
POETRY, people, can you not understand? Acccchhhh. Did he really
true mean to say that Hashem will ask every person in the world, "Did you learn
Torah? Did you deal honestly in business? Did you see My
Alps?" How can you think that?!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>What he meant was so obvious. If you live in a city -- and we Jews
are an urban people -- if you live surrounded by concrete and sidewalks and
paved roads -- get out of there once in your life at least! Go look at the
magnificent world that Hakadosh Baruch Hu created!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>You people. You would read Shakespeare's line, "A rose by any other
name would smell as sweet," and you would gravely say, "Hm, I wonder what he
meant by that? What about a lily? What about a tulip? WHAT
ABOUT JULIETTE? Why is he talking about a rose when Romeo is pining
for Juliette?" You would fill pages of commentary about why Shakespeare
talked about a rose and not another flower, and what on earth could he have
meant by that?!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>2. Second of all, did any other godol besides RSRH ever say anything
similar? Well, folks, I would like to draw your attention to Exhibit A --
the Tanach -- and a couple of gedolim you have probably heard of:
Yeshayahu Hanavi and Dovid Hamelech.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Se'u marom eineichem ure'u mi varah eileh?" (Yeshayahu 40:26)
(And please don't get nitpicky and say that the navi was talking about
Hashem's glorious stars and this could not possibly be applied to His glorious
mountains.)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Yefeh nof mesos kol ha'aretz Har Tzion...." (Tehillim 48:3)</DIV>
<DIV>"MiTzion michlal yofi Elokim hofea." (ibid 50:2)</DIV>
<DIV>"Yerushalayim harim saviv lah v'Hashem saviv le'amo...." (ibid 125:2)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>3. Hirsch did not get his love of beauty from secular
sources! When he looked at the Alps he was inspired and that inspiration
was religious, it was spiritual. "Mah gadlu ma'asecha Hashem!" (ibid.
92:6) Just look outside sometimes, look at the beautiful world and be
inspired!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>4. I am one hundred percent positive that if you already lived in
Yeryshalayim, Hirsch would not have told you that you have to go see the
Alps! But he WOULD have said, Go see the mountains! During bein
hazmanim, go on a tiyul! If Dovid Hamelech himself called Y-m a place of
perfect beauty, why would you need to see the Alps?! Don't you think that
Hirsch himself yearned to see Yerushalayim and the Harei Yehuda?!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>5. A different post needs to be written about Pirkei Avos, and a
person who looks up from his Gemara to say, "Mah na'eh ilan zeh!" That
could be a whole separate essay but, on regel achas, it does not mean that a
person should refrain from looking at beautiful sights or should refrain from
noticing that Hashem has created a magnificent world for us to
enjoy. What it does mean -- well that is for the other regel, enough
for now.<BR><BR></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><B>--Toby Katz<BR>=============<BR></B>Read *Jewish World
Review* at <A
href="http://jewishworldreview.com/">http://jewishworldreview.com/</A><BR><BR></FONT><FONT
lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><B><BR><BR>--------------------------</B></FONT></DIV></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV CLASS="aol_ad_footer" ID="cf793e643c0d7dfbf9ed9619a937eda7"><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and favorite sites in one place. <a href="http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010">Try it now</a>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>