Possibly against my best interests, I signed up for the Keren Olam HaTorah WhatsApp news channel. This keeps me updated on how The Gedolim are raising hundreds of millions of dollars around the world to sustain the underemployed charedi kollel community in Israel which is dependent on billions of dollars in government funding. Reading about how they describe their mission and activities is, of course, immensely frustrating, but also sometimes fascinatingly bewildering.
First there’s their understanding of “responsibility.” I’m going to highlight in bold some of the key words in their descriptions.
“HaRav Dov Landau shlit”a departs for Keren Olam HaTorah’s historic European mission, carrying the achrayus (responsibility) of sustaining the yeshivos, kollelim, and lomdei Torah of Eretz Yisroel… Keren Olam HaTorah chairman R’ Reuven Wolf described how critical the funds being donated are to the avreichim and yeshivos. “Between 30% and 40% of the budget of every yeshiva and kollel was cut from one day to the next,” he explained.”
Now, personally I think that it’s a complete lack of leadership and responsibility to lead a community of over a million people to not receive a general education (against the directives of Chazal), and for the men to not work (against the directives of Chazal), while having to raise large families, and to be entirely dependent on government handouts, which are in turn obviously not sustainable in the long run, especially when war breaks out. But maybe that’s just me!
Then there’s their understanding of “mutual responsibility” and “achdus.”
“LONDON’S STREETS FILL FOR KAVOD HATORAH!
HaRav Dov Landau shlit”a thanks England’s tomchei Torah for supporting Keren Olam HaTorah so generously. The Rosh Yeshiva stresses that their warm welcome and willingness to shoulder the burden themselves strengthen lomdei Torah: “This partnership and mutual responsibility itself strengthens and encourages the lomdei Torah in Eretz Yisroel in their time of distress.” …London is gathering in a magnificent display of achdus and ahavas Torah, welcoming the Gedolim and standing behind the yeshivos, kollelim, and lomdei Torah of Eretz Yisroel.”
Now, personally I would think that if rabbis are being branded as part of the Jewish People, and moreover the leaders thereof, then they should be concerned about the distress of all Jews. Especially the ones who are suffering the most, and especially when the reason they are suffering is that they are protecting everyone else, and even more especially when they are being made to suffer even more as a result of the charedi community not demonstrating mutual responsibility.
I’d think that they should demonstrate mutual responsibility and achdus by encouraging at least some of their community to enlist and ease the burden upon a friend of mine whose business has collapsed because of his endless rounds of reserve duty. And to ease the burden on another friend of mine who had to hand in his gun because otherwise he was about to blow his brains out and leave his wife a widow and his children orphans as as result of the psychological trauma he’s experienced from years of reserve duty. I don’t think that they should utterly ignore the hundreds of thousands of people who have sacrificed so much for us, and instead just keep on demanding money. But maybe that’s just me!
And finally there’s their understanding of the concept of “sacrifice.” This is what Keren Olam HaTorah had to say about Rav Don Segal echoing the sacrifice of others:
“After Rav Don Segal shlit”a spoke about sharing the burden of sustaining Torah through Keren Olam HaTorah, the organizers asked the Mashgiach for additional brachos. His response: “I, too, will go beyond my usual bounds and give generously.” Having urged others to stretch themselves for the lomdei Torah, the Mashgiach responded with generosity of his own—in brachos.”
Now, R. Segal’s urging of others to “stretch themselves” to help “bear the burden” means that they should give something extra. This in turn means giving something up. For them to give more of their money leaves them with less money. But how on earth does R. Segal’s corresponding “generous” giving of “additional” brachos leave him with less bracha of his own?!
I can’t even begin to guess what he thinks he means. But of course when you’re making it all up as you go along, you can be endlessly creative, and it doesn’t need to be internally consistent or make any sense.
It’s been reported that R. Yitzchok Huberman would occasionally say he has no more brachos left to give that day