All that Sarah tells you

An extraordinary anecdote from the book Rav Breuer, His Life and Legacy by Kranzler and Landesman. Page 185, footnote 12

"R. Schwab was responsible for eliciting the first clear responses from the roshei yeshiva of Eastern Europe vis-a-vis their attitude toward Torah im Derech Eretz....Most interesting is the response of R. Avrohom Mordechai Alter, the Gerrer Rebbe. The Rebbe did not reply at first to R. Schwab's question, but R. Schwab had the opportunity to meet him personally and asked him the question directly. The Rebbe then responded by saying: כל אשר תאמר אליך שרה שמע בקולה . R. Schwab was understandably perplexed by the Rebbe's response until the gabbai clarified matters for him by pointing out that שרה is an acronym for Shamshon Raphael Hirsch."

(Translation: "All that Sarah tells you, listen to her voice.")

Realschule

Great Wikipedia page on the Realschule. It's in German but you can translate via translate.google.com

1887: Eine 1. Klasse der Realschule der Israelitischen Religionsgesellschaft mit ihrem Lehrer

1887 A 1st year class of junior high school of the Jewish religious community with their teacher

Wisdom from the Gentiles: Staying True to Yourself

"I know - I know all about you. Look, kid, don't ever - ya' understand me? - don't ever let anyone monkey with your swing."

Baseball player hitting legend Ted Williams to a young Carl Yastrzemski

How many German Jews have shed their heritage and tried another, only to find it ill-fitting?

And how many Western Jews, raised in the Germanic societies of England, South Africa, Australia, Switzerland, and the USA have not pursued Torah Im Derech Eretz even though it may better suit their sensibilities?

Now that's a beautiful synogogue - KAJ Washington Heights

 

 

What I see here is a simple beauty. It's not ornate or byzantine but it has classic forms and color. For me, this simplicity is perfect for a shul as the complicated designs in some places can be distracting. You can't see it here but the ceiling is blue like that of Grand Central Station. The chairs and the Aron Kodesh bring in a rich brown. The woman's balcony brings in Esher like dimension. The benches of seats also keep the place very neat looking as does the order in which they run the place. There are no used cups sitting on the windows as you might see in some shuls. For me, this is sheer beauty that works in accordance with principles of spirituality. I have heard that German design in general tends towards this elegant simplicity. While a student of Hirsch knows that not every Agadata or Midrash need be taken literally, I hope the one about the shuls being moved to Eretz Israel after the geulah are literal so that I can daven in this building in the Holy Land.

Some Topics for the TIDE Conference

1) How do we educate today's youth in Torah Im Derech Eretz? What are the risks as compared to 100 years ago or 25 years ago?

2) How do we attract people who would be attracted to Torah Im Derech Eretz but just don't know about it?

3) How do we reconcile Hirsch's apparent view towards Zionism with the reality of the State of Israel and the fact that half of Jewry lives there today?

4) Does Austritt still apply in the practice of TIDE?

5) What is your definition of Torah Im Derech Eretz? Does it extend beyond secular studies and parnassah?

6) How do we maintain a virtual community?

7) How might we establish and fund real, geographic communities?

We could each take one of these or each discuss one more more in our respective segments. What are you thoughts?