There's a story told about a village in which a fire broke out. A Malach was sent down from high to observe the townspeople's response. This angel sees a woman standing at the riverside filling two pails with water, dragging them back to the village and dumping it on the fire. Back and forth she would go with her measly loads of water, doing her part but not doing much overall to put out the fire.
The Malach approached this woman and ask her: Mameshe, vos toot ihr doh? Do you think your little water can actually put out the raging fire, and if so why bother? The woman gave him a glaring look and said: If you'd like help me grab a bucket and fill it up, otherwise GET OUTTA MY WAY!
The same can be said for those that ask the all important question: Of what good is all that "outreach" work that Chabad does if the intermarriage rate in America is as bad as it was before they started and even worse?. In the Former Soviet Union, the statistics are even worse, with some cities having an intermarriage rate of 90 percent! so why all this outreach work, let them stay at home and concentrate on learning and davening and forget about everything else! איי עס ברענט א פייער but of what consequence is throwing a drop of water on a raging inferno ?
For the most part those that criticize are those who don't wish to contribute, either for ideological reasons, that they do not see the importance of the work, or they believe that they do not have the capacity to counter the fire burning. So, if you believe that the whole "village" can burn down and not think twice about it, then be my guest, stay at home and do your thing. However, if the entire Jewish people are of some importance to you, and you'd like to put out the fire but you don't think that you have the capacity, then the least you can do is stay out of the way of those that are doing something about it.
Hirshel,
ReplyDeletePlease check this out:
www.770EasternParkway.com: Hanocho of 1928 sicha on Ebay
it's printed in Sefer HaSichos 5688-5691 page 18. This is probably a different hanochoh.
ReplyDeleteHT,
ReplyDeleteWhile some of what you say could possibly be correct about some individuals, it is not entirely true about other and certainly not true about all.
While you claim that everything that is done is like "Dumping twopails of water" into the infernoe fire; some may point out, that at times some throw a pail of "querosne" into the fire.
WE are also aware that the Rebbe has mentioned this example and story about FR being asked with a similar point made by you: "why are you criticizing what we're doing... a fire is burning...and in such a situation we do everything to put out the fire....", to which the FR responded, that "we do not put a fire with petroleum...".
Obviously i'm not saying that all that is being done is like putting "petroleum" on the fire, and of course i agree with you that there are lots pails put out by the Shluchim to put out the fire...
But there are some criticism that point that certain mindset and behaviour seem to be compared to the "querosene" and not to "water".
some critics claim that there has to be a stronger message that the message of yiddishkeyt is not diluted. That there is no breakdown of values. While it is very diffcult to juggle and one should not be judgmental and give the benefit of the doubt; yet the apparent experiences that many have is exactly that kind of experience.
Was this beautiful shtikel thought up last night at mlava malka / Bar mitzvah? You were shmoozing the whole time mostly re: other topics! I'm impressed.
ReplyDeletevery
ReplyDeleteactually the story "came to me" Friday night at the Shabbos table.
do you know you advertise foe jeezesus sites?
ReplyDeleteI don't google does, but what can I do about that?
ReplyDeleteA fire burning?
ReplyDeleteWait till you've got a generation of Orthodox Jews grown up with the internet!
Perhaps it will be called the 'second haskalah'?
HT, You forget that kiruv is not only done to make people frum and stop intermarriage. It is also done because it elevates the scattered sparks of kedushah all over this galus, thereby elevating the olam and bringing Moshiach a bit closer. This is essential in order to understand why Chabad bothers to put tefillin on a pork eater who will only put it on once---the goal is in the mitzvah itself, even one single mitzvah, creates tremendous elevations.
ReplyDeleteI think the Jewsih world at large has unknowingly adopted some very Chasidishe principles. They now think that by staying home and learning in Yeshives that the Baalei Tshuvah will come on their own, just like the Maggid of Mezritch.
ReplyDeleteYou see Tzig, Chassidus is taking root!