Note: Sadly, this post is just as relevant today as it was when first published back in 2015.
Around the world, Torah schools find themselves under threat for teaching basic, albeit politically incorrect, morality.
In America, some Torah schools find themselves under attack for not hosting an exemplary program of secular studies while those same authorities hypocritically ignore the failure of New York City public schools (who ONLY teach secular studies), of whom over HALF of students did not achieve basic proficiency (meaning, a score of at least 70%) in either English or math. (As of 2018-2019, only 47.4 of NY students showed proficiency in English & only 45.6% showed proficiency in math.)
80% of New York City high school graduates cannot proceed to college without remedial help.
Nationwide, 67% of American 4th-graders are NOT proficient readers (source), despite (theoretically) being taught to read since kindergarten. This percentage has remained pretty much stagnant since 2007.
(A "proficient" reader can integrate & interpret text, plus use their understanding to draw conclusions.)
Yet on whose proficiency do the authorities focus? Who do they look to penalize?
Not their failing public schools.
Around the world, Torah schools find themselves under threat for teaching basic, albeit politically incorrect, morality.
In America, some Torah schools find themselves under attack for not hosting an exemplary program of secular studies while those same authorities hypocritically ignore the failure of New York City public schools (who ONLY teach secular studies), of whom over HALF of students did not achieve basic proficiency (meaning, a score of at least 70%) in either English or math. (As of 2018-2019, only 47.4 of NY students showed proficiency in English & only 45.6% showed proficiency in math.)
80% of New York City high school graduates cannot proceed to college without remedial help.
Nationwide, 67% of American 4th-graders are NOT proficient readers (source), despite (theoretically) being taught to read since kindergarten. This percentage has remained pretty much stagnant since 2007.
(A "proficient" reader can integrate & interpret text, plus use their understanding to draw conclusions.)
Yet on whose proficiency do the authorities focus? Who do they look to penalize?
Not their failing public schools.
Shooting Themselves in the Foot
(All text in block quotes is the actual words of the Kli Yakar. Emphases mine.)
“....Hashem your God will safeguard for you....” (7:12)
Here's the Kli Yakar:
“....Hashem your God will safeguard for you....” (7:12)
Here's the Kli Yakar:
And He said, “Blessed you will be from all the nations” (Devarim Rabbah), explaining how all the nations will bless you, etc., along with an evil angel who will answer: Amen.
And regarding this, the Abarbanel asked, “What is the advantage to Yisrael in that?”
And I say that because Eretz Yisrael is the “eyes of Hashem,” it takes precedence.
And this same precedence compels all the rest of the countries because all the countries drink from the extract of Eretz Yisrael.
Therefore, they are compelled to bless Yisrael because within its well-being comes the well-being for them, too.
And as it says in Tehillim (117:1-2): “Praise Hashem all goyim, all the nations will laud Him because His Kindness has overwhelmed us.”
And it follows accordingly “and you shall consume all the nations” (Ekev 7:16) because they will give to you from that which belongs to you.
And davka (Rav Huna, Baba Kama 113):
“ ‘that which Hashem your God gives to you’ only in the time [of war] when they are delivered into your hand” as is said (Shelach 14:9), “because they are our bread” and not when [in a time of peace] they are not delivered into your hand, because stealing from a goy is forbidden.
Doggie, would you bite the hand of the guy who feeds you this? (And in that final sentence, the Kli Yakar sums up the last words of Rav Huna in that same passage of Baba Kama 113.)
We see this now, as the world is turning against us, that its social, cultural, and financial well-being is also plummeting.
In a spiritual sense, the nations are biting the hand that feeds them.
Their anti-Israel and anti-Torah behavior ultimately leads to their downfall, not ours.
Once again, we see the vast power of gratitude — and ingratitude.
As a whole, the nations should be praising Hashem and blessing the Jewish people and supporting an authentically Jewish Eretz Yisrael because their essential well-being depends on doing just that.
For example, as long as America basically did this, it experienced growing prosperity.
But when America started turning its back on Hashem (and the actual start of this pre-dates even the First World War) and increasingly turning its back on the Jewish people specifically (via the demonization of the Jews of Eretz Yisrael among other things), then America's overall situation has been gradually deteriorating.
Just take a look at when the Federal Reserve was established, when inflation really started bloating, when Hollywood gripped America in its corrupting TV/movie vise, and so on.
(And contrary to the opinion of many people, who think that TV and movies used to be so innocent, I vehemently disagree. The movies & shows never were innocent. Tremendous corruption existed within & made its way into the scripts, then onto the silver screen, but most of it was more subtle than it is today.)
And when you look around at all the anti-Israel societies today, both in the Esav world and the Yishmael world, you can see them coming apart at the seams.
And as for all those Chosen-People-wannabees and all those who want to "love" us out of existence?
Yes, they are harming us. If they'd get their way, they'd cause us terrible harm.
Ultimately, we'll survive their manipulations.
But they won't.
We see this now, as the world is turning against us, that its social, cultural, and financial well-being is also plummeting.
In a spiritual sense, the nations are biting the hand that feeds them.
Their anti-Israel and anti-Torah behavior ultimately leads to their downfall, not ours.
Once again, we see the vast power of gratitude — and ingratitude.
As a whole, the nations should be praising Hashem and blessing the Jewish people and supporting an authentically Jewish Eretz Yisrael because their essential well-being depends on doing just that.
For example, as long as America basically did this, it experienced growing prosperity.
But when America started turning its back on Hashem (and the actual start of this pre-dates even the First World War) and increasingly turning its back on the Jewish people specifically (via the demonization of the Jews of Eretz Yisrael among other things), then America's overall situation has been gradually deteriorating.
Just take a look at when the Federal Reserve was established, when inflation really started bloating, when Hollywood gripped America in its corrupting TV/movie vise, and so on.
(And contrary to the opinion of many people, who think that TV and movies used to be so innocent, I vehemently disagree. The movies & shows never were innocent. Tremendous corruption existed within & made its way into the scripts, then onto the silver screen, but most of it was more subtle than it is today.)
And when you look around at all the anti-Israel societies today, both in the Esav world and the Yishmael world, you can see them coming apart at the seams.
And as for all those Chosen-People-wannabees and all those who want to "love" us out of existence?
Yes, they are harming us. If they'd get their way, they'd cause us terrible harm.
Ultimately, we'll survive their manipulations.
But they won't.
Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Luntschitz (1550-1619) lived in Bohemia (which is today Poland and Czechoslovakia). He served as rabbi and dayan and wrote several books, the most well-known being his commentary on the Chumash known as the Kli Yakar.
This is my own translation and any errors are also mine.
This is my own translation and any errors are also mine.
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