Tuesday, June 5, 2012

A Kosher Alternative By: Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum Z"L



‎"If the only way we can sell our children on Torah is by forbidding everything else, then we are bankrupt" - Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld zt’’l

"In every generation we have the likes of Doeg and Achitofel who misled great people such as Shaul and Avshalom with falsehoods and lies that caused them to try to kill Dovid!" - Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum Z"L

Preface: I dont like when I'm judge by my father, I'm my own person and speak for myself, but I do need to correct a misconception that I keep hearing. People think that because my father, was a respectable Rabbi it was easy for him to stand up to the bullies or that no one tried to blackmail or censor him. There was always somebody saying he had a personal agenda. My father was even taken to Beis Din for exposing a money scam run by "frum yidden". I went with him to the beis din and it was a disaster trying to explain to the Rabonim what a pyramid scam is. My father many times had to force the charid press to remove ads that were charity scams, because they refused to do it. If you just give a look, after my father past away, most of these ads are right back in the newspapers.
People have commented that my father was never banned from the chareidi papers. Completely not true. A perfect example is his article on the detriments of those who ban Jewish entertainment. It was published online by YWN. But when it made headway it was removed from their site. If you have any doubt about this you can see someone (whom I don't even know) that wrote about this at the time, titled: “I hope I don't get in trouble for this”. The article didn't mention the names of the askanim involved in the banning, but it was enough to be removed. One of these Rabbis is the same askan that told his mispallelim that if they don't go to the Asifa they shouldn’t come back to his shul and now a guest speaker at the upcoming Flatbush Asifa. The point I'm trying to make is that while my father and others said the obvious, their voices were silenced. These askanim have only gotten worse, and that's why our system has just deteriorated. 
The first step to recovery is identifying the problem and our leadership still refuses to do that. B"H I have a blog today and can post the article the way it was intended. I believe it is even more appropriate today than when he wrote it. What do you think? Please comment on MY blog.
Update: I just noticed that Yitzchok Adlerstein wrote about this article at the time and the censoring that took place, titled How to Criticize in Elul. Not surprising Rabbi Yankie Horowitz also posted it at the time. And while you are at it read his recent post Raising Children with Torah Values in Our 4G World. Knowing that there are people like Rabbi Horowitz, that will stand up for the truth gives me great hope for our future. 

A Kosher Alternative
By: Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum Z"L

Many people are in total shock at some of the goings on in the Catskills this summer. I will not go into the details. Suffice it to say that hundreds of our teenagers - boys and girls - were enticed to engage in activities that are far from what their parents and teachers consider acceptable, and far from what we have a right to expect from Yeshiva and Bais Yaakov products. While there are many reasons for it and no easy or simple solutions, we must be very careful not to add to the problem by forbidding everything without providing a satisfactory kosher replacement.

The first Yeshiva type wedding band!
A very rare photo of my father and his pirchai band.
Eli Teitelbaum, Motty Parness, Yisroel Lamm, Dave Nulman,
 Shmuel Bagerei, Yossie Leshkerowits, Chaim Fessel, Josh Goldberg....
The Yetzer Hora of today is not the one of yesterday or the one our grandparents had to deal with. Today we have television, movies, CDs, DVD’s, Internet, videos, certain type cell phones, and music that are extremely attractive and contain more filth than ever before. They are everywhere and they can easily be brought into our homes without detection. Their influence and message is so powerful and seductive that they have penetrated even the best homes. We are dealing with a mighty foe whose magnetic power of attraction is difficult to resist. Saying “No” doesn’t always work. Unless we provide our children with a kosher alternative to it all, we are asking for trouble.

While in the past, summer camps may have been considered a luxury and kids could be kept in the city, nowadays camps are a lifesaver. Most summer camps provide kids with a kosher outlet for their pent up energies with a balanced program of learning and sports. There is Color War and BOG. There are hikes and trips. Children are kept so busy that they don’t have the time or desire to look for non-kosher means of entertainment.

Many years ago, Pirchei Agudas Yisroel used to organize trips to Washington, Baltimore, and Toronto. Motzoei Shabbos there was learning along with game nights, and concerts. There was the famous Pirchei Choir that put out beautiful records and tapes that brought countless hours of delightful Jewish entertainment into thousands of homes. This was all done in order to keep children busy during their free time so they shouldn’t have to go looking elsewhere. It was important to show children at a very early age that the Torah is not just restrictions, but that Shabbos as well as the rest of the week can be a time of constructive joy and pleasure. Happy laughter and family voices in the home will keep more kids off the streets at night than the strictest curfew.

"Restrict everything and everything becomes permitted"
My Zeidi R' Yaakov Teitelbaum and some of his family
My father is top left.
I still remember when the Pirchei Agudas Yisrael put on a play and concert more than forty years ago in Montauk Junior High School. ( The play was based on the book Family Aguilar. ) There were some who tried to convince the rabbonim to put a ban on it. Since I was the president of Pirchei at the time, Rabbi Moshe Sherer z.l, asked me to go down to the venerable gaon hador, Rabbi Moshe Fienstien z.t.l., to get his halachic opinion. Not only did he not ban it, but he gave it his blessings. He understood only too well the importance of giving the boys a kosher alternative; otherwise they would soon find their pleasures elsewhere. One must be very careful before imposing restrictions. “Restrict everything and everything becomes permitted,” is what my father z.t.l. once said. When some tried to ban the Miami Boys Choir Concert in N.Y. and tried to get Rabbi Pam z.t.l.s’ signature as well as that of the Mirer Rosh Yeshiva to ban it, they both refused to sign.

A number of years ago, Rabbi Motty Katz of JEP and I organized a Chanuka trip to Washington on the two days that yeshivas give off for Chanuka vacation. Thanks to Mr. Yisroel Lefkowitz and others who helped subsidize part of the trip, we were able to charge only $20, which included an overnight stay in a nice motel. We were only able to take along 100 boys even though many more boys wanted to come along. I received a very nasty letter in the mail from a prominent rosh yeshiva accusing me of causing bitul Torah and admonishing me for organizing the trip. I very respectfully replied that it wasn’t I who was causing any bittul Torah but rather the yeshivas that gave the kids off for two days without providing them with something positive to do. I told him that if he wanted, I would show him where some of his students are hanging out during this time. I never received a reply.

I give great credit to the Mirer Yeshivah in Yerushalayim that has realized the great problem of what happens when their bocurim have nothing to do during bein hazmanim. The yeshiva organizes trips at subsidized prices which take their talmidim around Eretz Yisroel. If only other yeshivas would follow their example, many tragedies would be avoided.

When sports and concerts are forbidden, and all forms of kosher entertainment are off limits, we are asking for trouble. If our kids can’t find a place to vent their energy within a kosher environment, then they will find it elsewhere. In a time of war even the Torah itself permitted one to marry a captive non-Jewish girl under certain conditions. Chazal explain the logic behind this law. The Torah understood that a person is only human and therefore in this instance, while fighting a war, it gave him some leeway. The Gemora tells us that for everything the Torah forbade it gave us something similar that was permitted. Today’s war with the Yetzer Horah is far greater than ever before.

But in every generation we have the likes of Doeg and Achitofel who misled great people such as Shaul and Avshalom with falsehoods and lies that caused them to try to kill Dovid. Doeg even succeeded in getting Shaul to kill all the Kohanim in the city of Nov. This shows how falsehoods can be spread, how easily they are believed, and the terrible damage that can result. Even the greatest of the great are vulnerable to such camouflaged slander and can be misled by advisors they trust. Just turn to Shmuel II chapter 16 and read the story of how Dovid who knew better than anyone else of the great dangers of an evil tongue was himself taken in by Tziva who fabricated a false story about Mefiboshes. If even the greatest of the great can be misled, then we’d all better be very careful and constantly on our guard least we too fall into the same trap.

Things haven’t changed much since ancient times. Today, too, we have self proclaimed agitators and charlatans who have nothing to do with their time but to go around to our leading Torah sages and try to convince them that separate-seating concerts are a threat to our Yiddishkeit and to ban them. They falsely claim that there is pritzus in the hallways plus other fabrications. Exaggeration is a blood relative to falsehood, and almost as bad. A gossip is one who can give you all the details without knowing all the facts. Unfortunately, they often succeed in their mission. All it took was one Korach to convince the 250 heads of Sanhedrin of the holiness and purity of his mission.

Some have organized special activities and places for these “at risk kids” to get together under proper supervision, but this is not the real solution. The problem must be addressed long before young people reach the “at risk” stage. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If the money we spent on rehabilitation where to be spent on prevention, we’d get far more for our money, and fewer people who need intensive intervention

It must be clearly noted that despite all that was said, one is required to follow the ruling of our sages even when they say “Right is left and left is right.” Nowadays when there is no Sanhedrin, one must seek a leading posek and follow his ruling on all matters and not go “posek hopping.” This applies not only in the above case but in all other areas as well. There are some disagreements among our leading poskim in Hilchos Shabbos which can be an isur sekilah. One can’t pick and choose stringencies from one or leniencies from another. (Gemora ) The Agudas Yisroel follows the ruling of the Moetzes Gedolai HaTorah. Others can decide on their posek whom they wish to follow. But whoever it is, the p’sak must be followed even if it hurts.

Yes, there are legitimate concerns that must be addressed in order to make sure that concerts are conducted in a true Yiddish atmosphere and flavor. Performers should not be Jewish rock or rap singers and the music should not imitate today’s street hip-hop culture as some performers unfortunately do. Sadly, I’ve gone to frum weddings where the music and dancing felt like one was in a discothèque with only the flashing lights missing. Roshei yeshivas and rabbonim danced in the middle of the circle having no idea as what type of music they were dancing to. I hope no one is going to ban music at weddings because of this, but rather the m’sader kidushin or rabbonim should meet with the band leaders as well as the mechutonim to rectify this outrage. Serious concerns must be discussed between the concert organizers and rabbonim beforehand. Instead of seeking to ban these concerts, we must make sure that they are a kiddush Shem Shomayim. Music has a powerful effect upon the listener and we must ensure that it follows in the footsteps and style of Dovid Hamelech the “n’im zemiros Yisroel,” to whose words our music is often put.

We definitely need our gedolim to guide us, and if we come to them with sincere requests to teach us to run activities al pi Torah, they would respond wisely and constructively. We should no longer leave the field open to those few agitators and connivers who choose to deprive our young people of positive outlets. For if we close the doors to that which is permitted, they’ll unfortunately, soon find other places to fill the void!



26 comments:

  1. Beautiful. I was discussing the ban with my 70-plus-year-old grandfather and he mentioned precisely the same point regarding the Torah giving permission in times of war to marry a captive non-Jewish girl. Keep speaking the truth no matter how difficult it may become.

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  2. "Today we have television, movies, CDs, DVD’s, Internet, videos, certain type cell phones, and music that are extremely attractive and contain more filth than ever before. They are everywhere and they can easily be brought into our homes without detection. Their influence and message is so powerful and seductive that they have penetrated even the best homes. We are dealing with a mighty foe whose magnetic power of attraction is difficult to resist."

    1) No mention of "The internet is NOT the problem"
    2) No mention of Eeeeeeeeeeee's

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  3. Meanwhile, Satmar forbids kids to ride bikes:
    http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2012/06/satmar-bicycle-ban-345.html

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  4. You are so sad. Everyone agrees these things can be used for bad. But also for good. Thats the whole point of the article. Half the things he mentions are the Eeeees. ENTERTAINMENT!. Do you guys have brains or are you just robots that speak for your leaders. Please stop posting. Or better, like bob grant would say GET OFF MY BLOG YOU NINCOMPOOP!

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  5. Amazing. What a great man.

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  6. He's no Nincompoop. READ what your father wrote  "Today we have television, movies, CDs, DVD’s, Internet, videos, certain type cell phones, and music that are extremely attractive and contain more filth than ever before. They are everywhere and they can easily be brought into our homes without detection. Their influence and message is so powerful and seductive that they have penetrated even the best homes. We are dealing with a mighty foe whose magnetic power of attraction is difficult to resist. Saying “No” doesn’t always work. UNLESS we provide our children with a kosher ALTERNATIVE to it all, we are asking for trouble.
    UNLESS seems to imply that when we provide the alternative than we CAN say NO. Your father is suggesting kosher alternative outlets to the powerful seductive extremely attractive influences of the internet. Doesn't that also say that he felt it should not be in a home. He is just saying that if we do not give a kosher fun alternative outlet than they will go the internet etc. But nowhere does he suggest using the internet itself as an alternative. He seemed much more aware than you about the dangers lurking there.I know you can be mechalek. Nevertheless being that mostly bitter people comment here I figured I'll add my 2 cents.

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  7. Where did I say the internet is not dangerous. Its like a car its dangerous and therefore we need drivers ed. I had internet since I was 12 and my father never gave me a filter. He knew the dangers but instead he taught me wrong from right. Its that simple.

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  8. Not that simple. On your facebook page under 'movies', you have a pic there which is totaly non tzniusdig. If thats what you publicize, who knows what you do in private

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  9. I guess your filter is not working to well than. Anyways your a pervert go get a job with the vaad hatznius. Their looking for guys like you.

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  10. You didn't respond to Guest's point. Your father clearly implied that kosher alternatives are the better option than internet! He doesn't focus at all about how good the internet is, but only about how bad it is. He implication is clear that having the choice, one should certainly not have these devices in a frum home. I can't comment about how he raised you, but his message to the public was clearly the opposite that these device don't belong in a jewish home!

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  11. Pervert? sheesh, whats pissing you off today? Did your wive discover all the porn sites cached on your computer?

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  12. Using your logic he would not allow jewish music either because he says cd's. Do I really need to respond. Please get off my blog. Im asking you nicely this time.

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  13. I knew you were a sick person. A great rabbi told me all men who check every girl for tznius issues are perverts. You proved he is right.

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  14. I wasn't aware that you are a girl

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  15. I knew you were a raving lunatic. A great rabbi told me all men who have blogs are paving their way to hell. You proved he is right.

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  16. On your facebook page, you have a pic of a man in tallis and tefillin. what a bizayon to have such a pic on the same page with pics of immodest women. SHAME ON YOU!!!!

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  17. David - Please do not respond to Morris or any other comments who are clearly not looking for dialogue but rather diatribe. It is beneath your dignity and not (as I perceive it) the goal of this blog. Thanks.   

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  18. I agree. I deleted the rest of his comments, I just left the first few so people should know these kinds of people do exist!

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  19. First of all, I read your father's piece when it first came out. I thought it was spot-on then, and still think so now.

    Secondly, that photo is awesome! I recognized Yisroel Lamm immediately - he still looks pretty much the same.  Also Josh Goldberg, Motty Parnes,and of course your father (never knew he played clarinet - I thought guitar was his instrument).

    Is there a way you could identify all the members of the band by where they are in the picture? That photo is a piece of history.

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  20. Im not sure myself, but im sure others know. I just typed the names that were written on the back of the photo. I could ask Lamm if you want. 

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  21. Thank you for posting this article! You can see the brilliance of Rabbi Eli Z'l in words written years ago, which are as poignant today as they were back then. 

    Dovid you surely make your father proud with the direction you are taking. Standing up for what is right. I know that he would be the loudest voice out there today. And to all those who claim that "you are nothing like him", they obviously did not know him and how he stood for the truth no matter who was twisting it the other way. From the comment of our Zedi “Restrict everything and everything becomes permitted,” you can see where this all comes from. It would be good for the Gedolim of this generation to acknowledge the wisdom of those words. Any Rabbi can say no, but it takes a great Gaon to look beyond the no, and to channel it towards Kedusha.   

    This past Chanukah, there was a concert of MBC scheduled for Lakewood but it was "assured" by the Askanim/Rabbanim there. I don't know the reasons why, but what your father wrote of the episode back then shows how damaging unhindered power can be. In reality it should be harder to Assur something than to declare it Mutar! Because in it's unadulterated state there is nothing wrong with it. It is Hashems work, and it was created to use for holiness.  

    "I very respectfully replied that it wasn't I who was causing any bittul Torah but rather the yeshivas that gave the kids off for two days without providing them with something positive to do." 

    - You gotta love it!

    PS, I just read the comments below. It's comical to see how people try to twist your fathers words into meaning something that they would like him to have said! They totally missed the point of the article and are trying to use it to support their agenda, when in fact the opposite is true!! Let the people see and read what you are up against! 'Trolling your facebook page... pathetic!

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  22. You wrote our zaidy. So I decided to add the family photo that was shared on facebook. I thinks it a beautiful picture. 

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  23. From Yiroel Lamm
    Hi! I Will try.
    The Trumpet player next to me is Manny Greeble.Behind Josh to the left is my brother Mchoel.The Sax player next to my brother Mchoel might be Chaim Fessel.To the right of Josh might be Feivie Mendlowitz.The Accordion player on the left side is Elliot Frankel.KTYisroel

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  24. Beautiful.  So true.

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  25. I knew your father a little. I used to daven in the pirchei minyan downstairs on 14th Ave. I remember your father teaching karate at the “Y”. Today he would be called a “REBBI at risk”. A compliment.

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  26. A great article. The only bit I disagree with was this:





    > Performers should not be Jewish rock or rap singers and the
    music should not imitate today’s street hip-hop culture





    He doesn’t explain why not, or why the Eastern European folk
    music most older Askenazi music is based on is better.

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When posting please be careful about Loshon Hara