The following beautiful message was sent to the parents of students attending Bais Yaakov of Baltimore by Rabbi Moshe Frohlich, the school’s principal:
Dear Parents,
I hope that your preparations for Purim are going well.
I am writing to raise awareness about a challenge that happens each year on Purim. While many of our students receive large quantities of משלוח מנות from their friends, there are some students who receive very few, if any. For these students, Purim can actually be a painful day. If we allow this to continue, the spirit of this mitzvah which is to be מרבה רעות will be negated despite our best intentions. Just as מתנות לאביונים is intended to take care of the needy amongst our people, the mitzvah of משלוח מנות is also intended for us to go beyond our regular social sphere and take care of those that might benefit on a social level. And yet, the exact opposite happens when girls are painfully left out and רעות is thereby decreased.
I would like to ask the following to help mitigate this issue. Please sit down with your daughter and encourage her to deliver to 2 to 3 girls who will likely not be on the receiving end this Purim. This is a wonderful opportunity to talk with our children about the goal of Purim which is, of course, not how much משלוח מנות we receive, but how much we give. That ultimately is the barometer of a meaningful Purim, and this paradigm offers us a wonderful opportunity to be mechanech our children. I myself have fond memories of my own mother on Purim day sending me to deliver משלוח מנות to those that were out of our social circles.
We do have programs in school where we match each student to deliver to another student which slightly helps to resolve the problem. It does not, however, do real justice. I appreciate your attention to this matter and the extra effort for this special endeavor. The world and our school will certainly be a better place.
With warm wishes for a freilichen purim,
Rabbi Frohlich
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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10 Responses
So the school wants every girl to send shlach monos to her friends and also to send 2-3 “chesed monos” to a few nebechs!
The girls will later share among themselves which nebechs they chose to send as their “chesed monos”. Listen to them say, “Which nebech did you choose?”
Good idea or terrible idea???
I posted this in the CR but it took a while to show up.
At least I’m on the right page as to what’s important to share:-)
Rebitzin golden….this is a beautiful thing the school is trying to do. Obviously the parents are going to be mechanech the children not to do what you are saying and to treat the girls they are going out of their way to give just like any other friend.
Some schools/seminaries take lots (פורים זה הגורל) of 1 or 2 girls you are allowed to send and no more – so everyone will be EQUAL!
Torah Academy misses the Frohlichs!
מי כעמך ישראל I am so proud of my alma mater (class of ’69). Rabbi Steinberg Z”L would have been so proud of this. A freilechen Purim to all.
Very good, kol hakabod.
Rebbitzen Goldenpickanicerscreenname, why so negative?
Rebbitzen Goldenpick you obviously have never been to Baltimore, a city known for Ahavas Yisroel and Achdus. Your cynical remarks don’t belong there.
Rebbetzen Golden,
I feel sad for you & the community you live in.
Baltimore is a community that truly believes Derech Eretz & Menschlichkeit comes first. It’s modeled by the Rabbanim who (from leftwing Modern Orthodox to Chasidish & everything in between) sit together & work together with Shalom & Achdus.
Many of the community schools have children from Modern Orthodox & Yeshivish (& a growing number of Chasidish) families.
Parents in Baltimore understand your point & will make sure their daughters understand as well.
Your negativity shows you don’t know Baltimore very well.
Beautiful letter!