What should be done about this?

We all are aware of the new gezairos that have come down from Albany and which has the potential to impact hundreds of thousands of Yiddishe children.

This is a true tzara.

What should be done to alter this gezaira?

Chaza”l say: (Berachos 5a) when Yisurin (troubles) come on to a person-yifashfaish bimasav-let him examine his deeds.

The Mishna in Taanis (3:8) writes that for any tzara that befalls a tzibur-it is a mitzvah to cry out to Hashem. The Ramba”m (Hilchos Taanis 1:2) writes that this crying out is a chelek of Teshuva for when we cry out, everyone becomes aware that it is due to our sins that a tzara has befallen us.

While I am no novice in politics and shatadlanus, I do know that what the Torah says: an outcry is needed and that we need to look inwards to see what can be fixed.

It is said over bishem the Chofetz Chaim that when a gezaira against shechita was promulgated, he called for the tzibur to look inwards to see how the mitzvah of shechita be bolstered. Said the Chefetz Chaim, the Ribono shel olam only allows the goyim to pass gezairos on us in order to spur us on to teshuva in that inyan.

More recently, when NYC attempted to restrict Metzitza Bipeh a few years ago, Moreinu Virabbenu Harav Chaim Yisroel Belsky zatza"l told us that it must be that due to our hisrashlus in this inyan, the government is attempting to take it away completely. In order to remedy this issue we must be michazaik this inyan internally first and show how dear milah kihilchisa is to us!

If Hashem has allowed for a new impending gezaira against us using general studies, shouldn’t our first look be at the general studies departments in our own yeshivos and see how we could strengthen this inyan? If mosdos hachinuch across the orthodox spectrum are being attacked for their general studies departments, isn’t it incumbent upon us to examine this area and to see how we could possibly bring it in more in line with the Torah and our mesorah.

What are some areas that could be examined? While the list is longer than just a few pointers, let us begin with this.

Chaza”l say (Sifri) on the pasuk, vilo sasuru achrai livavchem-(one should turn away from minus) that this is a mitzvas lo sasai to turn away from minus (heresy). The Pasuk also says al tifnu el haelilim that one may not turn to avoda zara and to which chaza”l say (Safra) one should not even look at avoda zara so that we don’t end up serving it. In fact, Chaza”l say (Berachos 12a, Chinuch mitzvah # 213) not only is avoda zara forbidden by this lav, but rather any thought that will cause us to turn away from the Torah is part of this lav.

If so, how could so many mosdos Hachinuch allow general studies books, especially history and science books into their mosdos hachinuch that seemingly violate these very lavin? How could we allow history books filled with pictures of avoda zara in them if that is clearly being machsil our children every time they look at it? How could we have science books full of questionable content if that creates doubts of the Torah’s authenticity in the minds of our impressionable children? If we wouldn’t look at it, how could we allow our children to see it? How could we have science books-even those with ripped out pages, that do not mention one word of “mi bara kol eleh”, leaving our children to come to their own conclusions how things just came to be? How could we learn history without ever showing the hashgacha of Hashem throughout history?

If Hashem is demanding something from us, isnt this a good place to start?

Tell your child’s Torah school that you only want a Torah based general studies from now on!

Tell your child’s Mosad Hachinuch that  Kosher and Torah based textbooks and curricula are available for their Students!

Click here to donate or purchase a Kosher textbook or review book for your child and show Hashem that

YOU CARE!

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