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From
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/cx5ks8m" eudora="autourl">
http://tinyurl.com/cx5ks8m</a><br><br>
<font size=3><i>In 1963, a scathing critique of
the Torah and Derekh Eretz movement<br>
founded by R. Samson Raphael Hirsch (d. 1888) appeared in print.
It<br>
was authored by R. Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler.<br><br>
A letter was sent to Rabbi Shimon Schwab,soliciting his response to<br>
Rabbi Dessler's critique. His response was published anonymously in
</i>ha-<br>
<b>Ma'ayan, </b><i>a distinguished Israeli Torah journal, in
1966.<br><br>
</i>Who am 1 to render an opinion regarding </font><font size=1>a
</font><font size=3>matter about which<br>
greater and better rabbinic scholars have yet to reach agreement?
The<br>
rabbis of the previous generation, indeed the ancestors of Rabbi
Dessler<br>
who were the founders of the musar movement, R. Israel Salanter [d.<br>
</font><font size=2>1883] </font><font size=3>and his disciple R. Simhah
Zissel [Broida, d. 1897], addressed<br>
this issue. I have heard that their view on these matters came very
close<br>
to that of R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, but that they were outnumbered<br>
and opposed </font><font size=2>by </font><font size=3>the majority of
[East European] rabbis at the time. It<br>
seems to me that this was always the case historically. The majority
of<br>
rabbis refused to engage in secular study, lest they be ensnared by it.
On<br>
the ocher hand, in every generation a minority of Torah sages
engaged<br>
in secular study, using </font><font size=1>it </font><font size=3>as a
handmaiden to serve the cause of Torah.<br>
That minority pursued its own path and sanctified God's name<br>
throughout the universe, as is well known. R. Moses Isserles [d.
1572]<br>
already wrote in a responsum to R. Solomon Luria [ci. 15741 that it
was<br>
an ancient debate between the sages.<br><br>
</font>See the above URL for the entire article. YL<br><br>
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