229 PARK AVENUE SOU’ New York, N. ¥. 10003 CK 3 1e official publication of the National Association of 4ebrew Day School PTAs Cheshvan, 5735 October, 1974 THE as PARENT = SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE! Operation Torah Seed: A New Chapter for American Jewry Rabbi Boruch Sorotzkin on Yeshiva Education Sigmund Freud and the Jewish Concept of Sin, ;Address by Rabbi Aaron Soloveitchik, Rosh Hayeshiva of Yeshivas Brisk of Chicago, at graduation of New York City Machon Program I consider it a unique honor and privilege to ad- dress young men, young Mechanchim, who are ready to give of themselves and show self-negating sacrifice in going out to all the towns in the East and in the West and in the South to be marbitz Torah I'Yisroel. The Tona D'Vei Eliyahu tells us that “The elders who sur- vvived Joshua the son of Nun should have girded ropes on their loins and should have traversed the cities of Eretz Yisroel and should have spent one day in B'er Sheva, one day in Lochish and one day in Chevron to teach Torah and morality to Jewish children.” ‘The Tona D'Vei Eliyahu discusses the reason as to how it was possible for the pilegesh b’givoh incident — in which over one hundred thousand Jews perished — to have taken place. How was it possible for Jews, descendants of those who stood at the foot of Sinai and proclaimed na'aseh vinishmoh, how was it possible that such a demoralization should overtake the Jewish people? On account of that demoralization a hundred thousand Jews perished. 80 the Tona D'Vei Eliyahu gives the answer: The elders that survived after the demise of Joshua the son of Nun were ex- pected to gird themselves with courage and self- negating sacrifice and to go out into the towns of Eretz Yisroel and teach Torah and derech eretz to Jewish children, to Jewish youngsters. “But they did not do s0, therefore did those who perished meet their fate.” Everyone was content with his own “daled amos" and did not try to inculcate Torah and derech eretz into the hearts and minds of the Jewish people in all the towns, Because of that a hundred thousand Jews perished, Because of that this unusual tragedy over- took the Jewish people. Because there weren't enough Mechanchim who were ready to give of themselves and to go out into the towns of Eretz Yisroel and to in- culcate Torah and derech eretz into the hearts and the ‘minds of the Jewish youngsters, the whole Jewish peo- ple suffered. So 1 am overjoyed to see that there are young Mechanchim who are ready to leave their homes and to go out into the towns in the South and in the West and in the East and inculcate Torah and derech eretz into the minds and the hearts of the Jewish children, 8THE JEWISH PARENT ‘The Midrash Shir HaShirim tells us that before the Rebono Shel Olom revealed the Torah to Moshe Rab- benu at Mount Sinai, the Rebono Shel Olom said to Moshe Rabbenu that He, HaKodosh Boruch Hu, ex- pects airvonos — sureties — who will guarantee the fulfillment of the Torah. And Moshe Rabbenu at first offered the Avos — Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov —and the Rebono She! Olom refused to accept the Avos — Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov —as sureties. Moshe Rabbenu then offered the Neviim as sureties for the fulfillment of the Mitevos HaTorah, for the preservation of the Jewish heritage, and the Rebono Shel Olom refused to recognize the Neviim as sur- eties. Moshe Rabbenu then offered the Sanhedrin Gedolah as sureties, and the Rebono Shel Olom refused to recognize the Sanhedrin Gedolah as sur- eties. Then Moshe Rabbenu offered the Tinokos Shel Bais Rabbon (young children who study Torah) as sureties, and the Rebono Shel Olom immediately ac- cepted the Tinokos Shel Bais Rabon as sureties for the preservation of the Torah, This Maamar Chazal in Medrash Shir HaShirim spells out the fundamental truth that the eternity of the Jewish people, the perpetuation of the Torah, can only be assured through the full involvement of Jewish youngsters in the study of Torah and through the availability of Jewish Mechanchim, Torah teachers who are ready to sive of themselves and to inculcate Torah and derech eretz into the hearts and minds of the Jewish people. This is the only surety that we have for the eternity of the Jewish people and for the perpetuation of the Torah, The full involvement of Jewish children, Jewish youngsters, in the study of the Torah is not only the guarantee for the perpetuation of Torah, as it is men- tioned in the Midrash Shir HaShirim, but itis also the foundation for the redemption of the Jewish people. This is mentioned in the Gemara in Shabbos whichsays: “ ‘Al tigu vimshichoi,’eilu Tinokos Shel Bais Rabbon” — “ ‘Touch not my princes.’ these are the Tinokos Shel Bais Rabbon.” In this Maamar Chazal ‘we are told that there is an equation between Geulah (Redemption) and the full involvement of Jewish children in the study of the Talmud. The study of the Torah by Tinokos Shel Bais Rabbon is the conditio sine qua non, is indispensable for the redemption of the Jewish people. A Remarkable Story Tonce heard a remarkable story from my father, zichrono livrochah. My father told me that when I became Bar Mitzvah he told me the droshah thet the Netziv — who was my father's great-grandfather and my great-great-grandfather — gave at the Bar Mitzvah of my father. The Netziv of Voloshin was still living when my father became Bar Mitzvah; when the Net- ziv was niftar, my father was fourteen years old. The Netziv was the son-in-law of Reb Itzele Voloshiner, and Reb Itzele Voloshiner was the son of Reb Chaim Voloshiner. Reb Chaim Voloshiner was the founder of the Yeshiva of Voloshin, the mother of all the Yeshivos, which was established under the guidance and at the advice of the Gaon of Vilna. ‘The Netziv spoke for a long time at the Bar Mitzvah of my father, and he said that his father-in-law, Reb Itzele, had told him that Reb Chaim Voloshiner was so accustomed that every Shabbos at Sholosh S'udos he spoke divrei hashkofah, divrei hisor'rus to the talmidim for over an hour. At one Sholosh S'udos, Reb Chaim Voloshiner discussed this Maamar Chazal in Shabbos “‘Al tigu vimshichoi,’ eilu Tinokos Shel Bais Rabon.” This Maamar equates Tinokos Shel Bais Rabbon with Moshiach Tzidkeinu. And Reb Chaim Voloshiner raised the question, What is the sheichus — correlation — between Moshiach Taidkeinu and Tinokos Shel Bais Rabbon? And Reb Chaim Voloshiner said that this Maamar Ghazal implies that before Bias HaMoshiach the Torah will have to go through cycles over the whole world, The first center of Torah was in the Lishkas HaGoziz in Eretz Yisroel. Then, after the Churban, the Torah was transplanted in Yavneh and in other cities in Eretz Yisroel. Then Bovel became the center of Torah, and then, through the episodes of the Daled Shevuim, Torah was transplanted from Bovel to Spain, to North Africa, to France, and then from France it was transplanted into Germany. From Ger- many it was transplanted into Poland, and then from Poland it was transplanted into Lithuania and Hungary. At the time of Reb Chaim Voloshiner the ‘Torah center was in two places, in Lithuania and in Hungary. Reb Chaim Voloshiner said that before Moshiach will come, the Torah has to go through cy- cles over all the major cities of the Kaddur Ho'Oretz. ‘This is the explanation of the remark by our sages “Al tigu vimshichoi,’ eilu Tinokos Shel Bais Rabon” because every important country on the Kaddur Ho'Oretz has to become a Torah center in which hundreds and thousands of Jewish children will be fully involved in the study of Torah. This is the con- ditio sine qua non to Bias HaMoshiach. One of the talmidim of Reb Chaim Voloshiner who is well known, the Nachlas Dovid, interrupted Reb Chaim Voloshiner and said, “Rebbe, vu vet zein di letzte stantzia vu de Torah vet stoppen?” — which will be the last station where the Torah stops before Bias HaMoshiach? And Reb Chaim Voloshiner responded, “In America,” and he burst out into hysterical crying, The talmidim didn't understand. This was so unusual for Reb Chaim Voloshiner to burst out into hysteri Voloshiner always mi equilibrium; he never, never cried. And here, all of a sudden, he was crying like a baby. But no one had the out crying. He said that the last stop of the Torah before Bias HaMoshiach will be the American co nent. In those days, America was as remote from Voloshin as Mars is to us. But why did he have to cry? No one asked him, Why Reb Chaim Cried ‘After Havdolah, the son of Reb Chaim, Reb Itzele, said to his father, “Everyone was amazed that you cried. Why did you cry?” So Reb Chaim said: “Farvous farshtaist du nisht farvous ich hob geveint? Gedenk as in America zoll veren a Torah tzenter vet men doch darfen durch kumen azoi fil yisurim, azoi fil m’siras hefesh. Ver vais vifil yiden es vet zein vous velen hoben dem koach und de courage tzu arois veizen ut de mesiras nefesh und beikumen de alle yisurim." He cried because so many, many Jews will have to 4g0 through such agony and they will have to be able to sgird themselves with courage and strength to face the challenge in order to transplant Torah on the American continent. Who knows how many Jews would be able to give of themselves to convert the American continent into a Torah center. And the prophecy of Reb Chaim Voloshiner was fulfilled. The American continent became a Torah center. Torah was transplanted from Europe to the American continent, and this involved a lot of mesiras nefesh, a lot of yisurim. But, Boruch Hashem, that 1 can give greetings to young American Mechanchim who are ready to give of themselves and to go out into the towns of the South and the West and the East and to inculcate Torah and derech eretz into the hearts and minds of Jewish youngsters. 1 AUGUST, 1975-9