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The only thing that will save this generation, the secret to saving our generation is not how we can pull out more plugs from more machines. They’re always ahead of us. They always have other machines. And just when you though you could control what the kid is sending with text messages, someone told me last year that the kid can go to the store and get a disposable cell phone, that nobody even knows about. There’s no bill that is ever is ever sent to the house. There’s always some other way. When a person is in this world, there’s always a way.
So they can have a thousand conferences and meetings about “How can you take away the pleasures of the children of this generation?” And if we can take away all their pleasures and make new yeshivas where there’s no sports, no smiling, “Smiling is not allowed”. No laughing, no happiness, no recess. Anybody that is caught wearing or with a smile in the “Kingdom of Sadness” will be banished from the school forever. Which also means that all of the sisters and brothers will never get shiduchim. They think of new way of how to save this generation. There’s only on way. The only way to save this generation, and it’s our responsibility, is to show them that Yiddishkeit is so geschmack, to lift them up to a place that is called “Al Cheit”- higher than that stuff.
How about we show our kids unconditional love? How about we worry more about what they’re thinking than the neighbours? How about we emphasize the moral aspect of Judaism instead of the legal minutiae?
I agree. Rav Weinberger says later in the shiur that, “we are not winning the war by assuring everything”.
If you are really living a passionate Torah life, then you kids will pick up on what you deem important (like your last question). Thanks for the comment.
Beautiful.
I do hope he spent time in the derashah fleshing this out, though. Beyond highlighting the positives and showing how Yahadus is fulfilling and meaningful and spiritual, we still need to address the hard parts, the chukim, the elements that conflict with our human nature and the world’s inputs. That’s where I (as a parent) would love to hear more.
“How about we emphasize the moral aspect of Judaism instead of the legal minutiae?”
Perhaps an even better question would be “How do we show them that these two *seemingly* incongruous aspects aren’t really mutually exclusive?”
Thanks for the recommendation, Neil. Have a wonderful chag!
Mordechai: I can strongly suggest getting/downloading R Weinberger’s series INSPIRIRED PARENTING. The shiur was basically about the issue of fasting/eating on Yom Kippur when it’s on Shabbos and the extra level of Kiddush of the day (with some Oros HaTeshuva, chapter 12 and a poem of Rav Kook’s thrown in, too).
The last 12 minutes he really goes into “what can we do” mode. I think for those of us that fall somewhere between “black hat on Shabbos” and modern (use electricity and are exposed to media) it’s tricky with the chukim, as you write.
For me, that’s where TIDE fits in, in the sense that we should look at the world though Torah-colored glasses”.
Shmuel: I’d suggest the 4th paragraph of this:
http://www.atid.org/resources/lmof40/schiller.asp
Also, I think that understanding D’veykus to Hashem in ALL aspects (davening, mitzvah observance, holding the door open for people) is key. Of course, this line of thinking is Bilvavi inspired. 🙂
I have downloaded it! It is beautiful. Thanks for letting me know about it.
This is Ibrahim from Israeli Uncensored News
Niles,
Great stuff. I think that the Rav Weinbergers and Rav Yaacov Horowitz’s of the world will ultimately prevail with these messages.
It is up to the rest of us – the footsoldiers – to set the good example of how these policies and philosophies can and do work.
I agree.