It seems like we have a lot of work to do to rebuild the Beis Hamikdash. Most of us are fairly good Jews, so it’s easy to blame the other guys for the problems and perhaps to some extent it’s true that it is their problem.
But could it be that we are collectively to blame for the faults of the Jewish world?
Is it possible that we need to care more about our fellow Jew and develop the love needed to effectively help each other improve?
Contempt is an easy emotion, but could it be that the contempt we hold is a big part of the problem?
Of course this does not mean that all wrongs are equivalent, but should we not point the finger of blame and shame out ourselves every once an a while and look at our own faults?
Do we have the courage to accept some of the blame?
(Revised version of previous post submitted)
I think we are accountable if there appears to be any trend or pattern of this happening in the Jewish community in some recurring way. in this case, these people were rooted in the Jewish community, and Jewish groups.
We Jews are accountable when it becomes obvious that Jewish people are committing these acts in quantities which are out of proportion to our share of the population as a whole.
I suppose we can be held responsible not only for what we do in our own sphere but also for not restraining others from wronging society.
However, in those situations where communities or subgroups/institutions within communities are run without transparency or accountability or democratic checks and balances, isn’t it hard for the average concerned Jew in that community to make a dent in its overall conduct?
Isn’t it just as easy (not to mention dismissive) to overestimate the power of one’s deeds as it is to underestimate them?
Not just me.
Also Brizel. Trust me, I watch him like a hawk, and he’s clean.
I knew we should have excluded Ron from accepting any responsibility ;-) Please excuse us for not carving out that exclusion ;-)
Rabbi Frand in his Tisha B’Av drasha suggested we look inward in regard to the financial crisis and I think we need to look inward in these matters also.
I also think it’s ridiculous to dismiss the actions of any sincere group of people as irrelevant. Jewish History and standard Jewish hashkafa teaches us that the actions of the few are relevant.
I am just not comfortable with this “we are the world” concept along the lines of, “If the readers of Beyond BT would show more chesed and ahavas yisroel and kavod ha-brios [respect for everyone], there would be …,” well, anything besides the readers of Beyond BT showing more chesed and ahavas yisroel and kavod ha-brios and mainly enhancing the world more or less around them.
I believe that among the readers of this blog, none of them are causing the headlines that are causing such a tragic chillul Hashem. And I think it completely beggars common sense to suggest that any contempt being nursed by those of us in the room — whether toward those who are causing the chillul Hashem, or toward those whose hashkofos [philosophical outlooks] are enabling this to happen — has any effect on the situation.
Of course the world is built on kindness. Of course we need more of it, and more love of both our fellow Jew and our fellow man. And of course we are not prophets, and should therefore think hard before engaging in our self-appointed missions to “call out” those we consider the wrongdoers in our midst.
But with all due respect to the Administrators, I think it is a somewhat pat, and maybe even smug, emotional or coping or perhaps rhetorical strategy or approach — or whatever it is! — to say “we’re to blame.” I don’t know what it accomplishes except maybe it helps us feel better about, what? Ourselves (because we’ve “accepted responsibility”?) That’s kind of an ironic outcome isn’t it?
Yes let’s be better to each other, our loved ones, our fellows and to strangers. I’m all in favor of that, of course. We need to do more kiddush Hashem. But let’s not be under any illusions about our role in the big picture here, is what I’m saying. It may really just be a feel-bad-to-feel-good bit of self-deception?
(for which his example was the pre-Nazi German system)…Under modern systems, everyone is presumed to be pushing to the outer limit of the law.
The Weimer republic is hardly normative example of a Western system. And frankly, Bob, the Jewish community is not exactly behaving on par as compared to the majority population, but disproportionately, like an aggrieved minority that thinks they have something coming to them.
Blaming it on “modern” society is as reprehensible a defense as it is vague.
Not only that, Larry, but our good personal habits need to be encouraged and our bad ones stopped for our own sake.
I recall reading a translation of an article by R’ Yitzchak Breuer Z”L in which he contrasted the Torah legal system with modern legal systems (for which his example was the pre-Nazi German system). I believe his point was this: Under our Torah system, we’re not expected to take advantage of other people even if the codified law would technically allow it. Under modern systems, everyone is presumed to be pushing to the outer limit of the law.
It’s tragic that we often take the “modern” approach here.
certain benighted pockets among our brethren actually start considering other human beings as what they are
This misses the original posters point – that it is easy to blame ‘certain benighted pockets’ and hard to look at oneself. Tthe overt ‘it is ok to steal from a non-Jew as long as it doesn’t not involve chillul hashem (i.e., you believe you won’t get caught)’ is, thank god, only the viewpoint of a few.
However, the insidious idea that we are chosen for greater privilege, not for greater responsibility, is almost subliminally present in many many O circles. I suggest that we need to stress that when it comes to halachot like returning the lost item of a non-Jew, supporting the non-Jewish poor of a city, refraining from speaking lashon harah about a non-Jew and the like that we publicize the fact that while not required, doing these things are middos chassidut, and ‘one who is strict will acquire a blessing.’
How about this?
Pretty good plank for our new platform?
Ok, now, in all seriousness, I agree with the thrust of the argument urging that certain benighted pockets among our brethren actually start considering other human beings as what they are — as has been said here, people created in Hashem’s image.
But I think people who will steal from goyim will still from their fellow Jews — and worse — with little additional prompting.
The needs include
1. Proper education for citizenship from elementary grades on up.
2. Role models demonstrating proper respectful behavior towards everyone.
I don’t know who’s doing what in general. Out here in Indianapolis, our community’s relationship with non-Jews has been OK. The Orthodox in Indy mostly live in a suburb-like area, with single homes and garden apartments/condos, that is mostly non-Jewish and racially integrated.
Well, the fact is that large segments of the non-Jewish world have treated us poorly over a span of millenia. If we were dealing with them, here, today, we might have justification for hatred. However, our neighbors in America today are generally willing to live in peace, so hatred for them is truly groundless.
Bob, what do you feel is being done in Jewish communities that will help create a sense of respect for non-Jews? What do you think should be done that is not being done?
s/b “millennia”
Well, the fact is that large segments of the non-Jewish world have treated us poorly over a span of millenia. If we were dealing with them, here, today, we might have justification for hatred. However, our neighbors in America today are generally willing to live in peace, so hatred for them is truly groundless. There are communities among us that have not grasped this properly.
Whenever anyone puts the emphasis on the word ‘chinam’ instead of the word ‘sinat’ an alarm goes off in my head. Ow, that hurts.
Explaining that your reasons for hatred are well grounded and not baseless is unlikely to advance the cause of kiddush hashem, or make the Jewish or world communities a better place.
I’m not clear about the word “continue” above. Many of us have refrained from sinas chinam in the most general sense all along. Keep in mind that “chinam” here means groundless.
I like what Larry wrote. As long as we continue to view sinas chinum as only an issue between Jews, we will both continue to face scandal after scandal, and sinas chinum between fellow Jews.
Maybe it would be easier for us to accept responsibility instead of accepting blame. The two concepts are similar, but responsibility sounds much better than blame.
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I’d comment, but Bob and Lenny said everything that needs to be said.
Is it possible that we need to care more about our fellow Jew and develop the love needed to effectively help each other improve?
Is it possible that the continued emphasis on our fellow Jews, and our complete silence on our responsibilities as members of the general human community is also responsible for many of our problems? If every time we approached another person we said to ourselves “This person was made in the Image of Hashem” would we treat them better, or would this quickly turn into rote?
We have to try to fix the small picture (ourselves) as well as doing what we can to fix the big one. We should have contempt for certain types of actions, as opposed to certain people. Then we can look at our own actions for traces of the same problem.
This is not “shaming oneself out”; it’s investigation with an eye towards improvement.