What Makes A Godol and Why We Are Being Lead Down The Wrong Path!

A reader's thoughts....

First in a three part series.

As a child growing up in a community out of town, we were always taught that the large yeshivas in New York and other places were where we should aspire to go. My first experience with the culture of New York was when I went to a camp with other children, many from New York, who instead of welcoming me into a group with a nice sholom aleichem where are you from as I had been brought up to do instead came with we don't know you just stay out of our way this summer.

Thank G-D I have been raised with enough self confidence to ignore that, and B"H they came around after a period of time and I enjoyed my summer but even after 30 years I do not value any one of them as a true friend. Lessons learned in youth stay forever.

I recently spent a Shabbos in Camp Morris and while davening in the shul and the beis midrash I did not receive one sholom aleichem. Believe me it was not because every bochor was learning, it was because they couldn't care about making a Jew feel welcome . It is not just a Chaim Berlin problem it is a problem in Lakewood and other places as well.

Why is that? Because the rabbinical giants of of yesteryear don't exist today . Read the stories of Rabbi Aryeh Levine, how every Jew was made to feel welcome, religious or not, in his home. How he took orphans in and fed them worried about a child in the street. Read the stories of Rabbi Yosef Chayim Sonnenfeld who despite his advanced age went to the Diskin orphanage to visit the orphans before every yomtov, and when a new arrival came into his community he did not rest till suitable accommodations where found. Read the stories of Reb Moshe Feinstein taking the time to teach a child mishna at night, so that he could enter his school. (unfortunately the Tendler family is destroying that legacy with their very existence)

Read the stories about Rabbi Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz who greeted everyone with a broad sholom aleichem, and cared for bochurim like they were his children, not a cash cow. Read the stories about the previous Lubavitcher rebbe who under threat of death under Communism made a pact with his chassidim to educate Jewish children under Communisim. Read the stories about the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l who worried about every single Jew around the world and created a baal teshuva movement that has saved countless of Jewish souls from assimilation. Read the life story of Mottel the shochet who stayed in Russia to help Jews, even when given and exit visa, only to come to America in his eighties and have his life story translated and stolen by Dovid Goldwasser and published by Artscroll (crooks, liars and thieves).

Today these so called rabbis are interested in themselves, not their students. Interested in their kovod and not humility, and they truly have destroyed a generation of boys and girls. (who among us who has a daughter coming home from seminary, believe we need to have a detox program for their own safety).

Now in today's age of children who instead of taking care of the parents,they are now sponging of their parents. With thanks to UOJ for a forum that is dedicated to helping turn back the clock to when Jews were G-D fearing Jews, and hardworking and frum meant just that, not food stamps - relief - unemployment and medicare.

Humbly - from someone involved in tzorchie tzibbur.