On Tuesday, Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Wieder, a Rosh Yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, delivered a talk to the students of YU titled Our Communal Responsibilities and Our Responsibilities Towards Our Community. It is an impassioned analysis of the corrosive effect that a consumer mentality, and a ruthless capitalist attitude, has on the morality and sustainability of Modern Orthodox life. Commenting on those who adopt a Jewish version of the “Prosperity Gospel,” in which those who are wealthy are presumed to be virtuous and in which the Torah is viewed as another iteration of the Chicago School of Economics, he says that the Torah, while not a socialist document, is one that espouses a regulated form of capitalism with a communitarian bent and that “...Anyone who tells you otherwise has probably not bothered to study Torah carefully. Maybe it is because they are ignorant. Or maybe it is because they are dependent on their parnasa on institutions whose raison d'etre is to serve the needs of the wealthy and powerful by confusing their desired outcomes with Torah values.”
He continues by tackling the issue of tuition structures for day schools, the narrow range of professions that have become socially acceptable and sufficiently remunerative, and the economics that drive people away from avodat hakodesh, in the form of education and the Rabbinate. He does not just raise problems, he does offer some solutions as well. I would urge everyone to take a half an hour and listen.
Hakarat HaTov Corner
1. I am filled with gratitude to Hashem that a vaccine against COVID is now available for children ages 5-11. With God’s help, two of my own children will be vaccinated on Monday, and I eagerly await the availability of the vaccine for younger children as well. I would urge everyone with children of the appropriate ages to take advantage of this opportunity, as a matter of Jewish law and public health, which brings us ever closer to a normal life.
2. As today is Veteran’s Day, we owe a debt of gratitude to all those we know who served in the US Armed Forces, including those whose service was to care for the spiritual needs of the troops. My grandfather, Rabbi Dr. Isaiah Rackovsky z”l, served as a chaplain during World War II, enlisting after serving nearly a decade as a congregational Rabbi (and being deployed while newly married to my grandmother z”l).
Rabbi’s Recommendation
At the risk of self promotion, please check out the videos from the past two classes from our series How To Do Shul - I hope you find them meaningful!
