Maccabee's Wars

A venting rage against the ills of our society with some hopeful observations.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Where are the Gedolim?

Paysach Krohn recently gave a speech regarding the Haggaddah where he mentioned how administrations, teachers and Rebaiim tend to give up on children.

Today I came across 2 excellent articles in reference to the continuous notion of the “in doubt throw it out” attitude of our Yeshivoth whereby kids are constantly being put at risk to an exclusionary policy or to the sword of Damocles of expulsion and as a consequence thereof, at risk in the world at large.

http://jschick.blogspot.com/

http://www.mschick.blogspot.com/

The problem seems to be more prevalent in the Chareidi world yet Rabbi Krohn who is a member of that world mentioned the story of Rav Shwadron who was a frequent visitor to the Krohn home.

Rav Shwadron had come for Pesach Seder shortly after Rabbi Krohn’s father had passed away. During the Seder, Rabbi Krohn was hurrying the Seder along, preventing his children from asking too many questions or from describing at length what they new about the Haggaddah story.

Rav Shwadron had warned Rabbi Krohn to stop rushing. Eventually Rabbi Krohn let the Seder drag out until the wee hours of the night.

Now Rabbi Krohn wished the Seder had ended earlier because he knew that Rav Shwadron, who lived in Eretz Yisroel, had only one Seder obligation and Rav Shwadron had told Rabbi Krohn in the past that he always ate the Afikoman before Chatzos.

After the Seder, Rabbi Krohn explained to Rav Shwadron that this was the very reason he was rushing the kids to finish.

To paraphrase Rav Shwadron, “G-d forbid that my need to eat the Afikoman should outweigh the needs of your mother. Your mother is an Almonah. She waits the entire year to hear her children and grandchildren and to have Nachas from them. That is her joy. Eating the Afikoman by Chatzos is at best a D’rabanon. Looking after the needs of an Almonah is a D’oraisah!”

If only all of us could have our priorities as straight.

The latest news regarding the Yeshiva system is the latest ignominy in failing to prioritize properly. Morality is now at a new low, part of our morose existence. Rav Shwadron, z”tl has left us, as have many of the Gedolim. Is there no one to step forward?