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IMO there is a tendency today within certain Orthodox circles to foster
conformity on people. There is pressure to dress a certain way, to
think a certain way, etc. This leads to a "suppression"
of individuality. Yet people are not the same. Indeed, to me one of
the great accomplishments of the Alter of Slabodka is that he developed
his students into gedolim while at the same time preserving their
individuality. Reb Yaakov Kamenetsky was not like Reb Aaron Kotler, who
was not like Rav Ruderman, who was not like Rav Yaakov Lessin, who was
not like Rav Yaakov Yechiel Weinberg, etc. The Alter definitely did
not use a "cookie cutter" approach to Chinuch.<br><br>
I think that RSRH's commentary on Bamidbar 1<br><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=4><b>2
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Take the total count of
the entire community of the Children of Israel, according to their
families, according to their fathers’ house,<br>
counting the names, all males, according to their heads.</i></b></font>
<br><br>
speaks to this point. He wrote<br><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>The conception of the nation as the
“House of Israel” and of all its<br>
members as the “Children of Israel” ensures that the concept of the<br>
Jewish nation does not become a mere abstract idea without real
union<br>
and does not exist merely as a fiction, as an imaginary union of
elite<br>
representatives. The Jewish nation is always conceived of in the
actual<br>
unified entirety of its members. They are united by a common inner<br>
element, and each one of them is an actual and integral part of this<br>
unity.<br><br>
Our forefather Yisrael was one man; but even when his descendants<br>
had grown to six hundred thousand men, they all were still members<br>
of “one house,” sons of “one man,” bearing in their hearts and souls<br>
the impress of the same stamp, bearing through the ages their
heritage<br>
of one mission and one destiny.<br><br>
But amidst this fundamental unity and under its influence, a
diversity<br>
of qualities unique to tribes and families is preserved and
nurtured.<br>
In this way, the goal — which we have already pointed to several
times<br>
in </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Bereshis
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>(17:6, 35:11-12, 49:25) —
will be attained: The one mission<br>
shared by all will be accomplished by every individual — despite his<br>
uniqueness; it will be accomplished by a diversity of special
qualities<br>
and character traits, a diversity of professions and positions in life.
And<br>
this accomplishment will be a model for the entire human race.<br><br>
Each tribe in its specialty and each family with its special
qualities<br>
are to work at the common task of the House of Israel; they are to
give<br>
shape to this task, educate their children to it, and pass it on to
the<br>
next generation.</font></body>
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