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The following is taken in part from Rav Shimon Schwab's Essay <b>The
Legacy of RSRH, ZT"L </b>that appears in Selected Writings pages 88
-93.<br><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=3>Rav Hirsch is usually accepted
as the exponent of the<br>
Torah im Derech Eretz philosophy. This principle is<br>
explained by his grandson, Dr. Isaac Breuer, as follows:<br><br>
"He was strictly opposed to compromise or<br>
reconciliation, or even a synthesis: he demanded full and<br>
uncompromising rulership of the Torah. The Torah cannot<br>
endure co-rulership, far less tolerate it. As a true<br>
revolutionary he seized the liberalistic individual, the<br>
liberalistic, humanitarian ideal, liberalistic capitalism, and<br>
the human intellect, celebrating orgies in the liberalistic<br>
science, and dragged them as "circumstances'', in the<br>
narrowest sense of the word, to the flaming fire of the Torah<br>
to be purified or, if need be, to be consumed. As a true<br>
revolutionary he solved the unbearable tension between the<br>
Torah and the new era which had dawned over the Jews of<br>
Western Europe. He invaded the new era with the weapons<br>
of the Torah, analyzed and dissected it down to its last<br>
ingredients, and then shaped and reformed it until it could<br>
be placed at the feet of the Torah, as new nourishment for<br>
the Divine fire. The proclamation of the rulership of the<br>
Torah over the new era was the historic achievement of<br>
Hirsch's life for his own contemporaries." -- ("Hirsch as
a<br>
Guide to Jewish History'' in Fundamentals of Judaism,<br>
published by Feldheim, 1949.) Unfortunately, the principle<br>
of Torah im Derech Eretz is grossly misunderstood by our<br>
contemporary Jewish orthodoxy. It does not mean that one<br>
who is a full-fledged citizen of hedonistic America and at<br>
the same time keeps the laws of the Torah, is a follower of<br>
Torah im Derech Eretz. Not to violate the laws of the Torah<br>
certainly deserves praise and recognition but it is not an<br>
embodiment of the Hirschian philosophy.<br><br>
Likewise, an academy dedicated to the study of science<br>
and philosophy, not in order to serve the understanding of<br>
Torah or to further the aims of the Torah but as the<br>
independent search by the human intellect to understand<br>
and control the world around -- even when added to a<br>
department of profound and very scholarly Torah studies -this<br>
is not an outgrowth of the Torah im Derech Eretz<br>
Weltanschauung of Samson Raphael Hirsch.<br><br>
Also, a secular university in Israel, albeit under<br>
skullcap auspices, complete with Judaic studies, is<br>
extremely remote from a Torah im Derech Eretz school<br>
even if it has established a "Samson Raphael Hirsch chair"<br>
as part of its academic set-up, something which almost<br>
borders on blasphemy .<br><br>
The Orthodox professional who is not regularly<br>
"koveah ittim batorah", or otherwise lacks in the<br>
performance of mitzvahs, or who is immodest in dress or<br>
behavior, is not a follower of Samson Raphael Hirsch. From<br>
all of Hirsch's prolific writings, it becomes evident that his<br>
main concern was to establish the majesty of the Divine<br>
Word and the role of the Divine Will as revealed in the<br>
Torah, to dominate all the highways and by-ways of<br>
mundane life.<br><br>
Those who abuse Torah im Derech Eretz as a "hetter" to<br>
lead a life of easygoing and lenient "Yiddishkeit" or
those<br>
who consider the Hirschian idea as a compromise between<br>
the right and the left in Jewish thinking have distorted the<br>
meaning of the principle as laid down in the Mishne, Avos,<br>
Perek 2, 2: "Beautiful is the study of Torah combined with<br>
Derech Eretz for the effort to attain both makes one forget<br>
to commit sins". The Torah is not a mere branch of human<br>
knowledge, one discipline amongst many others, but rather<br>
must the Torah dominate all secular knowledge and all<br>
worldly activities. Equally so, the community of Israel, Klal<br>
Yisroel, as well as all Kehillos and organized communities,<br>
be they local or international -- which are all segments of<br>
Klal Yisroel -- are not supposed to be mere branches of a<br>
neutral Israel but are to be totally independent. The Torah<br>
community is not beholden to any non-Torah community<br>
and it does not even recognize its authenticity. This is the<br>
essence of the Hirschian Austritt (separation) ideology. The<br>
so-called "Austritt" is the militant vigilance of the<br>
conscientious Jew defending the Torah community against<br>
all encroachments from the non-Torah powers that be. The<br>
"Austritt" and Torah im Derech Eretz go hand in hand, they<br>
form "one package", so to speak, and both these aspects of<br>
Hirschian thought have one aim: the total domination of<br>
Torah over all thinking and actions of individual and<br>
national life.<br><br>
He who separates the rule of the Torah over all facets of<br>
the communal life of Klal Yisroel from the rule of the Torah<br>
over all human knowledge, in short, he who separates the<br>
"Austritt" from Torah im Derech Eretz, renders a
disservice<br>
to both. Instead of becoming an inspiration to serve G-d in<br>
the spirit of <i>B</font>'chol D'rochecha dahu</i>,
<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=3>Torah im Derech Eretz is<br>
reduced to become an excuse for being "modern but frum",<br>
an excuse for the cultural assimilation which plagues the<br>
modern Orthodox Jew who considers this world a kosher<br>
pleasure cruise eventually resulting in all the sorry<br>
hangovers of our age.<br><br>
Let us therefore beware of some common<br>
misunderstandings. The motto does not have its accent on<br>
the last word but on the first word. </font>It
<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=3>is TORAH -underscored<br>
for double emphasis -- with Derech Eretz.<br><br>
Furthermore, the leit-motif is neither Torah and<br>
Derech Eretz nor Torah U'Madoh -- the two are not equal<br>
partners -- nor must it be twisted around into Derech Eretz<br>
plus Torah. It is neither a synthesis of Torah with<br>
assimilation nor a bloodless orthopraxy blended with<br>
earthbound Americanism.<br><br>
</font>It <font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=3>is none of
these.<br><br>
It is Torah im Derech Eretz. </font>It
<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=3>means G-d's Torah in its<br>
totality, utilizing Derech Eretz as the means to bring about<br>
the Torah's full realization.<br><br>
It means: Torah as a Divine nourishment and the<br>
human Derech Eretz as the aromatic ingredient to bring out<br>
the Torah's intrinsic flavor to its most perfect bloom.<br><br>
There are two schools of thought and they are both<br>
legitimate. One is "Torah Only" and the other is Torah im<br>
Derech Eretz. All Torah-conscious Jews work for the same<br>
goal. There are various methods and various avenues of<br>
approach. They all lead up to the ultimate end of:<br><br>
"Yisgadal v'yisgadash Shmei rabah" <br>
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