*A Kosher Alternative*
By Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum
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 *Yetzer
Ho*ra 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.
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!
