Page 27 - HaMizrachi Tisha B'av 5782 USA

“Fading

Differences”

Kiryat Sanz, Netanya
As part of a broader discussion about American Jewry, Avi Borgen asked
Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac
Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), to reflect on the differences When Mizrachi Leaders
between the Modern Orthodox and yeshivish communities in America.
Many of the differences between the communities are fading. I Built Charedi Neighborhoods
recently spent Shabbos with Moishe Bane, the President of the
OU, and we davened together at an Agudah shul. I asked him,
“what percentage of the people here send their kids to college?” in Israel
He said “95%!”
Years ago, it was specifically the Mizrachi community that had Shlomo Zalman Shragai (1899–1995), one of the great Religious Zionist
lawyers and doctors and engineers. Now the Agudah community leaders of the 20th century, served as the Mayor of Yerushalayim from
also has lawyers and doctors and engineers! The Agudah became 1950 to 1952 and the head of the Aliyah Department at the Jewish
like the Mizrachi. There isn’t that much of a difference anymore. Agency from 1954 to 1968, when over half a million Jews made Aliyah.
The Chafetz Chaim once told a parable about a wealthy man In his memoirs, Shragai shares the remarkable story of how he helped
with two married daughters. One son-in-law liked to eat milchigs bring numerous Charedi communities to Israel.
(dairy), while the other liked to eat fleishigs (meat). The wealthy I had two goals when I reached out to religious communities.
man supported both of his sons-in-law, but they never ate at I generally encouraged Jews to make Aliyah, but I specifically
the same table for dinner, since one ate milchigs and the other hoped to bring religious Jews to the land so their influence
ate fleishigs. But then the wealthy man lost his fortune, and they would be felt in the cultural and social fabric of Israel. I hoped
could only afford to eat milchigs. But the two sons-in-law still sat that in the future we would reach a point where the religious
at two tables! Then the formerly wealthy lost even more of his community would be the majority of the population of Israel.
money, and all the family could afford to eat were potato peels
that they scavenged from the garbage. But still the two sons- I began conversations with Admorim and their Chassidim, who
in-law ate at separate tables! The father-in-law said to them: were very interested in the idea of setting up Chassidic commu-
“Originally, when one of you was eating milchigs and the other nities in different locations. This initiative led to the creation
was eating fleishigs, you sat at two separate tables. But now that of Kiryat Sanz in Netanya, Kiryat Mattesdorf in Yerushalayim,
we’re all eating potato peels, why can’t we all sit together?” Kiryat Sassov near Ramat Gan, Kiryat Itri in Yerushalayim
and more. I also met with rashei yeshivah, and this led to the
The Chassidim and Misnagdim used to have very different founding of Kiryat Telz (Telz-Stone) on the road between Tel
approaches to serving Hashem. They didn’t accept each other’s Aviv and Yerushalayim. I have to mention the efforts of the
paths. But now we’re all down to eating potato peels! What’s the Finance Minister Pinchas Sapir who helped the project find its
difference between Chassidim and Misnagdim today? Everyone funding, and David Ben-Gurion encouraged the initiative. In
is the same now! total we founded 15 such communities, totalling 50,000 people.
The same is true of the Religious Zionist and yeshivish communi- When I had the idea of creating Chassidic and yeshivah commu-
ties. In America, everyone is now pretty much the same. nities, the command of Rabbi Akiva rang in my ears: “Rise up
and fill Eretz Yisrael with Torah!” (Bereishit Rabbah). This is an
eternal command to Orthodox Jews from all denominations
– from Mizrachi to Neturei Karta! If we really want the State
of Israel to reflect Torah ways and values, there is only one
practical approach, which is to get up and fill Eretz Yisrael with
Torah. If religious Jews from Western countries do not come
to Israel just because they are too comfortable there, by sitting
there they are contributing to the secularization of Israel. Our
approach is that rather than criticizing this or that aspect of
Israel, they should get up themselves and make Aliyah, for the
sake of Hashem and His Torah.
Rabbi Hershel Schachter is a world renowned posek,
a senior Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University and Rosh  Originally published in Sefer Shragai Volume 1, page 309
Kollel in RIETS’ Marcos and Adina Katz Kollel. (published in Yerushalayim, 1981).

| 27