He wrote the stinging words twenty years ago. They could have been written this very morning.
In a haunting piece of writing, Rav Shimon Schwab, zt”l highlighted what has been on our cringing, collective minds these awful past few days: the screaming painful headlines on every corner and every newspaper stand, blaring the terrible Chillul Hashem caused by ironic executors of corruption.
“Every form of Chillul Hashem lowers the awareness of the Divine Presence in the world. But if the desecrator happens to be a professed Torah observer or, even worse, a so-called scholar of the Torah, then the Chilllul Hashem not only weakens the respect for Torah on one hand, but strengthens on the other hand the defiance of the non-religious insurrection all around.”
The Almighty, says Rav Schwab, has little patience for those involved in actions that degrade the His holy name.
“He who has committed Chillul Hashem, even Teshuvah, Yom Kippur and suffering cannot fully atone for his sin until the day of his death.” (Yoma 86)
“Better to commit a sin in secrecy than to commit Chillul Hashem in public.” (Kiddushin 40)
There is no delay in the Divine punishment for Chillul Hashem, whether committed knowingly or unknowingly.” (Kiddushin 40)
“If one steals from a non-Jew, swears falsely and dies, his death is no atonement for his sin because of Chillul Hashem.” (Tosefta B. Kamma, 10)
“He who desecrates the name of Heaven in secrecy is punished in public.” (Avos 4)
“All sins are forgiven by G-d but Chillul Hashem. He punishes immediately.” (Sifri Haazinu)
Tragically, the Chillul Hashem wrought by the unfolding horrific happenings of our day, is a scenario that does not stand isolated. Rav Schwab, himself, cites startling indistinguishable events of his day, as he further reverberates the agonizing ring of truth.
“….Some perpetrators of Chillul Hashem are making the headlines of our daily newspaper,” he writes. “Certainly we are not sitting in judgement of the persons who are publicly accused….However, be it as it may, the Chillul Hashem is there in the worst possible way. “Rabbi” so and so, who sits in court with his velvet Yarmulka in full view of a television audience composed of millions of viewers, is accused of having ruthlessly enriched himself at the expense of others, flaunting the laws of G-d and man, exploiting, conniving, and manipulating – in short, desecrating all the fundamentals of Torah Judaism…”
Woe to us and woe to what has ensued as a result of the disgraceful blemish placed upon us by the actions of a few!
“While it is obvious,” continues Rav Schwab, “that the vast majority of loyal and observant Torah Jews deal honestly and correctly with their fellow men, a very small minority of criminal perpetrators suffices to cast sinister aspersions on all orthodox Jews and, what is worse, on orthodox Judaism as a way of life. The Chillul Hashem of a few individuals provides excuses for the doubter, and encourages the desecration of Torah learning, Torah education and Torah influence. To defraud and exploit our fellowmen, Jew or gentile, to conspire, to betray the government, to associate with underworld elements, all those are hideous crimes by themselves. Yet to the outrage committed, there is added another dimension, namely the profanation of all that is supposed to be held sacred by us as well as – in their heart of hearts – by the perpetuators themselves. What a sorry picture this is!”
The ironic deeds committed by ‘shomrei Torah, umitzvohs’ does not escape Rav Schwab’s discerning eye; it serves as a potent mussar haskel to all of us viewing from the outside.
“Suppose I have cheated my neighbor or my government and then I stand in the midst of a congregation of honest and decent men and women to recite the Kaddish which is the prayer for Kiddush Hashem in the world. What audacity! What a shame! Can there be a worse contradiction than the strict Shabbos observer who may also be a stickler for kashrus and who at the same time violates the spirit of Shabbos and Kashrus during the week with non-kosher money manipulations?!”
We must look ourselves full-face in the mirror, declares Rav Schwab. Let us bind ourselves with the words of Shma – “You shall love Hashem,” meaning, “Let the name of Hashem become beloved through you – lead the kind of exemplary life which would contribute to the universal glory and adoration of Hashem and which would, in turn, enhance the glory and luster of the Torah, adding respect for the dignity of the Jewish people as a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation.”
“No white-washing, no condoning, no apologizing on behalf of the desecrators. Let us make it clear that anyone who besmirches the sacred Name ceases to be our friend. He has unwittingly defected from our ranks and has joined our antagonists, to make us all suffer in his wake. And…. the more prominent a man has become in orthodox Jewish circles, the more obligated he must feel to observe the most painstaking scrupulousness in his dealings with the outside world…”
A Jew cannot choose to follow one set of halachos and disregard another. A Jew, proclaims Rav Schwab, dare not be two-faced.
“Our observance of the Toah and Mitzvos is regulated by the Choshen Hamishpat no less than by the other codes of the Shulchan Aruch. Whoever betrays his loyalty to one portion of the Torah uproots all others. For, at the roots of Chillul Hashem are gross materialism, blatant selfishness, insatiable love of wealth and brazen disregard for common decency. Even if, strangely enough, as it sometimes happens, those ugly traits go together with excessive charity and benevolence. We call this type of twisted ethics “mitzvah haba b’aveira” i.e. virtue acquired by sin, a farce. It means playing jokes with the Torah. It is blasphemy and therefore unforgivable.”
In these unfortunate days, miserable hallmark to the ongoing suffering of the wandering spirit of the Jew, leading up to what has, for centuries been known as the climax of national tragedy and desecration of Hashem’s honor and glory, it is time to announce, as one, the hallowed words of Kaddish: “May His Great Name be magnified and sanctified”, as well as the call of Kedusho, “Let us sanctify Your Name in the world!”
“Let us proclaim, loud and clear,” shouts Rav Schwab to all of us, “that we shall have no part of such sickly ‘Yiddishkeit’. Our aim is to strive for Kiddush Hashem. And in order to reach this goal we shall band together and march together, we and our children, with clean hands and pure hearts towards the dawn of geula, speedily in our days…”
(Yehuda Drudgestein – YWN)
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50 Responses
I dont know if I’m reading this correctly, but from Rav Shimons words in his speech 20 years ago, he is convicting the arrested people from beyond the grave! And YWN is seconding the motion!
they might as well dress like goyim if there going to act like them they think if they have peyos they could do what ever they want.
Dear Ephraim,
Yes. You read %100 correctly. If you deal honestly in business than you have nothing to fear. On the other hand………
Edited by Moderator: (All names have been removed – YWN does not allow that)
a ztadeeq is still a ztadeeq.
such as,
Moshe Rabbeinu
Daveed Hamelech
countless ztadeeqeem sinned
made teshuvah and WE LEARNED FROM IT.
what looks like a sin,
may not have been a sin by ALL THOSE INVOLVED
Rabbi XXXXXX did not take a salary for his post.
He did not need it.
MAYBE EVERY CENT FROM THE TRANSACTIONS WENT ENTIRELY TO CHARITY.
Like Daveed Hamelech, It didnt look good.
The above article as comment #1 said is written condeming with knowing other then what the media printed.
I dont know.
You dont know.
But what we do know
is that one person refused any transactions.
We do know that countless lifes have been saved by the sale of the body parts.
In my opinion, 2 things have to happen.
1) THE ONE G’D OF ALL WILL REVEAL WHAT ‘HE’ WANTS REVEALED AND FOR ALL OF US TO KNOW.
2) THIS IS OUR INDIVIDUAL TEST TO SEE IF WE WILL STILL ADHERE TO TORAH AND not use this as an excuse to transgress.
May we all have the zechut to witness the coming of Mashiach.
meaningfull fast
you have NO IDEA what you’re talking about. you’re taking the words of a late gadol and applying them where they don’t belong! how DARE you!!!! the rabbanim accused are tzaddikim and you wouldn’t know that because you dont know them! you took the rav’s words and made them into lashon hara! there is such a thing as entrapment which was clearly the case with some if not most of these rabbis. you should be ashamed of yourself, YWN.
and mr. drudgestein! what’s the matter, didn’t you find any REAL news to report today?
may Hashem be more kind in judging all of you than you have been to these holy rabbanim!
We sorely miss Rav Schwab, a great Torah leader who was not afraid to speak the truth. He did not care if people liked what he said or if it was what others in the Frum world were doing or saying; Rav Schwab simply taught Torah and told the truth, painful as that may be. If the Nine Days and our T’shuva are to have any meaning we must learn to follow his teachings.
Do you hear what is said? in a way the Mitzvos and looking like a Yid all becomes a sin!!!
DACON9,
You are right that they may still be Tzadikim, and that it might not be as un-ethical as the media makes it to be.
However, don’t deny that there is a clear lesson. Don’t deny that these acts are contrary to our convictions and goals as Torah Jews.
On page A28 of the newsday there is a Letter to the Editor that addresses this situation. The writer writes that just like the American that turned Taliban shouldn’t reflect on all Muslims the same should be for the Jews that got arrested. If only everyone would look at it that way.
if the media would tell the whole story it wouldnt be such a chilul hashem. the media enjoys to smear us.
These words of Rabbi Schwab ZT”L are barely applicable to our case.
These people did not enrich THEMSELVES.
They DID NOT SOLICIT these transactions but were entrapped by a cunning individual who presented himself as an EXTREME CHESSED case (“His 5 children have nothing to eat”).
This is not the FBI’s most glorious moment.
They went after a specific segment of the general population.
Welcome to a Obama state of affairs.
The people who were arrested are surely miserable, and don’t need us sitting around with our taleisim on judging them.
But there is a difference here. Madoff was so many billions of times more a chillul Hashem. He was the one to compare to this Rav Schwab, he was the one who, as Rav Schwab says, “ruthlessly enriched himself at the expense of others.” He took billions of dollars of people’s money out of their hands!
But these people are accused of being accessories to flea market sales of Gucci bags people knew were fakes. In fact his customers loved getting their obviously fake merchandise. And Gucci didn’t lose, they would never have bought from them. If it weren’t illegal it would be fine.
It is not a Chillul Hashem to go five miles an hour over the speed limit. Maybe this is a little worse, but really you need some measuring sticks of some kind in this subject. Get real.
YWN is like obsessed with this story!! Enough!!! Its old just stop already!!
At work yesterday my co-workers asked me for my opinion on the recent arrests. I told them that paraphrasing Obama, I believe that the FBI acted stupidly by arresting them.
There is something to learn from Obama’s reaction last week. He said that he didn’t know the facts but had no problem defending his friend.
So much more so here!
I too don’t know the facts, but have no problem defending the Rabanim of the Syrian Community. This is a family who has been the Rabbonim of that community in America for the last 70 years. I don’t know their history that well but I believe that they were Rabbonim in Syria before that.
The least you can do is recognize that in the USA a person is innocent until proven guilty.
To bring Rav Shimon Schwab’s Drasha here is nothing more than a editiorial.
(FYI, I am an Azhkenazi Jew, who does not have any relationship with the Syrian Jewish Community, except that I grew up in Midwood.)
when someone does a not-so-straight deal like givng a check to tzedakah nd getting cash back, is that considered a chillul hashem the fact that it can eventually make a chillulk hashem, SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME THANKS!
How can YWN take words of a Gaddol and apply them wherever they want?
What you are doing is Chillal Hashem. Take these words and apply them to yourselves.
Where did Rav Schwab ZT”L write this?
Must be translated into Hebrew and Yiddish and sent to every Jewish paper and every shul,yeshiva ,stiebel ,bais medrash and Jewish business.RE: A Must Read: Timeless Words of Rav Shimon Schwab Towards TODAY’S Headlines
I am very fortunate and proud to have been a Talmid and friend of this godol,Ish Emmess” and he influences my life to this day.
Unfortunately,many people today do not even feel that money-cheating acts are wrong.Underpaying taxes, under-reporting income,collecting food stamps,section-8.Medicaid, and working for cash off-the-books,making claims for non-existing insurance losses and medical expenses,phony real estate deals, selling lower-quality material as the better type,-I’ve seen it all.
EXCUSE ME. The great tzaddik Rav Schwab’s words don’t apply here.
These Rabbis were trying to do a good deed for a Jew who claimed a dire emergency for his family, in order to entrap them into doing something they would never ootherwise do.
The FBI exploited their good middos and charitable feelings to entice them into doing an illegal act. –For shame, that our Government officials would stoop so low.
If they did this to Al Sharpton or Jesse jackson, or to an Imam, or to a Bishp, there would be riots in the streets. They would burn down the cities in response to such a despicable injustice.
It is a mark of our decency as good citizens of this country that we bear this injustice in humility and even cry out “Mea Culpa!”
oh and i’m loving the “velvet yarmulke” reference. shame on YWN, this “writer” should not be employed by you! he pulls connections from his silly mind that are illegitimate and offensive, and you put it out here as “news”!
the rav did not mean for someone to twist his words and use them as lashon hara against rabbonim who were not even put on trial yet! we don’t have the facts! stop being so over dramatic and look at YOURSELF instead!
these rabbis are suffering enough! shame on u!!
Don’t jump to conclusions. Thats what the Aku”m do and want the public to do. There are some who think that Chilul Hashem means that “… (someone) got caught.” The gemara in Kiddushin is tempered by the mishna in Avos: “Kol Hamechalail shem shomayim bisaysair, nifroen mimenu begaluy.” So we have to be patient. “Hehvay dun l’caf zchus.”
The details of this scandal will be published for all to see and we aught wait for the judgment of the court. That said, I can tell you many times that Rabbonim were scandalized only to be vindicated later on. What others have said is true. They go after the Jews because of the headlines. If they had gone after, say, Chicago mobsters, for example, maybe the last election would have turned out differently. In the end, Hashem (who controls the whole show) can cause “eeroor” and choose as He pleases who will be caught and who shouldn’t. It, like life, is not necessarily fair.
What is Horav Schwab’s opinion about a Mosser who also sets people up to do sins?
#16 – must_hock-
‘when someone does a not-so-straight deal like givng a check to tzedakah nd getting cash back, is that considered a chillul hashem the fact that it can eventually make a chillulk hashem, SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME THANKS! ‘
‘not-so-straight’? It is assur. period. By taking a tax deduction for the full amount and actually only giving a small portion to tzeddaka – that is cheating the government. Why is genaiva considered ‘not-so-straight’?
A ‘frum’ person doing genaiva, besides the issur of genaiva, is making a chillul Hashem.
#21 -deepthinker
‘These Rabbis were trying to do a good deed’
How can genaiva and chillul Hashem be a ‘good deed?’
I am disappointed that YWN would take a Tzadik’s drasha written long ago and apply it where YWN, and not Rav Schwab, sees fit.
Unlike the general populance, we have a Torah to direct us, and implying guilt via this article seems to be a clear violation of our Torah’s laws.
Whether it’s the general media, YWN, or any communication medium or individual: we still have our Torah, and we are still bound by it’s Laws; we are not excused because of “sensational headlines”.
Hopefully, the upright among us will recognize this as a Nisayon before it’s too late, before their written and spoken words go off in the wind.
#24- SHAME ON YOU!
“shame on YWN, this “writer” should not be employed by you!….the rav did not mean for someone to twist his words and use them as lashon hara against rabbonim who were not even put on trial yet! we don’t have the facts! stop being so over dramatic and look at YOURSELF instead!”
Rav Schwab wrote this piece while a “rabbi” was not yet convicted either!!!
The mere fact that they were arrested is a CHILLUL HASHEM – no matter WHO they are.
what a shame rav schwab is not alive anymore….what a shame rav gifter is not alive anymore….what a shame rav miller is not alive anymore….what a shame rav ruderman is not alive anymore….what a shame rav berenbaum is not alive anymore…..
now we have rabbonim who must be politicaly correct and never speak the truth.
how timely….
AL EILAH ANI BOCHIYA
I once heard a good vort. The gemara says, “Afilu Sefer Torah sheb’haichel tsorich mazel”. Even a sefer torah needs luck. By the same token, each mitzvah also needs luck. The mitsvos of Shabbos, Teffilin, Mezuzah, etc. are lucky, all frumme yidden fulfill them with great hidurim. Unfortunately, “Lo signov” didn’t have that mazel, it wasn’t matzliach to be so popular and well accepted by some frumme yidden. Hashem Yerachem.
It never ceases to amaze the utter stupidity and sheer nonsense that some people write.
YWN, just ignore these people.
Your article was as always right on the money, and totally appropriate for the news were following in the past few days.
I was zoche to have known Rabbi Schwab personally, and rest assured that he would have made this speech not today, but Thursday afternoon.
Once I am commenting, I would like to publicly commend you in the manner in which you have reported this mass chillul hashem, as apposed to ‘others’.
Chazak ve’ematz, and may you only report good news hence forward.
All R’ Schwab is saying is that orthodox Jews are measured by a different yardstick in the eyes of the world. That is why we have to keep very far away from even a sfek sfaika of a criminal act, NO MATTER HOW BIG THE RACHMONUS IS!! Nobody is saying these people are guilty of fraud, money laundering ,etc. but they are guilty of letting themselves be put in a position of causing this tremendous chilul hashem and no amount of tzedaka can justify it. Entrapment is a good plea for the court system and should be pursued, but its no excuse for the beis din shel ma’aloh
How about this: silence…
Now is not the time for pontification, use your heads.
Powerful article. Thank you for sharing and thereby teaching and reinforcing critical truths.
THE WORDS OF RAV SCHWAB IS GEVALDIG, I JUST WANT TO MAKE A SMALL COMMENT, IF THE EDITOR IS ALSO CONCERNED OF CHILUL HASHEM WHEN THE ISRAELI GOVERMENT IS MAKING A CHILUL HASHEM, WHEN THE ISRAELI GOVERMENT IS DENOUNCING OBAMAM AS ANTISEMITIC WHAT A GREAT CHILUL HASHEM THEY CAUSE WITH THERE ACTIONS, WHERE WAS THE EDITOR OF YN AT THAT TIME, IS THIS DOUBBLE STANDARD? PROBBALLY YES
When Moshe Rabenu heard that there were mosrim (snitchers) among the bnei yisroel, he understood why they were not redeemed. One moser can hold back the geula! Every Jew should be made aware that a moser has no portion in olam haba and is liable to the death penalty.
#28 You are an ignoramus for two reasons. First, let me inform you a couple of stories. The Mahra”m Ruttenberg was imprisoned by the government for trumped up charges. So too, the Tosfes Yomtov, R’ Lipman Heller, was thrown in jail for absolutely nothing. The fact that these contemporary Gedolim were put in prison may or may not be indicative of their guilt. As defense attorney Barry Slotnick once said: “… The DA can indict a ham sandwich.” The second silly thing you said was that I’m employed by YWN. I have never and will never work for them. Period. There are many times that they omit my comments. Probably because I tell the truth. And many time NOT to their liking. So get off your high horse.
The other reason
#33, when is the time for “pontification”? When something else newsworthy comes up and life just goes on? NOW is the time, when we are hurting from the shame. L’ma’an yishm’u v’yeera’u! Every yid no matter how big or small he is in his eyes, must understand that he has an achrayos to klal yisroel and that we all are being judged by his actions.
I’m trying to understand what happened.
Will someone please explain why they took a percentage and didn’t just give the full amount back? (Please don’t say administrative fee of writing a check.) Who were the checks made out to?
What about innocent until proven guilty?
(Esp here where some “other sides” clearly had an agenda?)
R’ Schwab said some timeless words about chilul hasahem, true. But who are we and you to “apply” them to certain people??
Unbelievable.
(Besides which, does anyone stop to think that most of these alleged crimes are purely illegal because they’re illegal, and not because they directly harm another (as opposed to swindling someone, various methods of abuse, and more?) Doesn’t make them legal, does make a difference. Think driving without your drivers license on you vs. driving with having no license at all.)
The less said, especially now, the better. Hashem Yaazor.
מדבר שקר תרחק
קדושים תהיו
לא תגנובו ולא תנכשו…..וג’
don’t ANY of these mean anything anymore? Are we allowed to rob from Reuven to give to Shimon? Is “Kosher” meat the meat that the mashgiach did not see you get from the treife supplier? Is stealing permissible if some or all of the money is given to a yeshiva or needy person? This is NOT what our Torah wants. THAT IS RAV SCHWAB’S ZT”L MESSAGE!!
lets stop debating and evrey one work on them selfs pray that evreything should work out for the best just a side point if you walk in to a jail there mostly goyim serving prison terms. why do the goyim publicize when a jew gets into trouble ? i think its to show us as a nation were judged as one.
perhaps the circumstances of the case rav schwab applied this statement to were different than this case? just a thought.
great article!
I never met a more honest person in my life who was a straight as Rav Schwab. What a tzadik!
He was right what he said, and anyone who doesnt see the comparison here is in denial.
I happen to know what he was referring to, and he knew allyour dumb answeres without everyone saying them, and he still said his piece.
And to #28 who called someone an ignoramous, you must be referring to yourself. You have insulted the “pickchus” and name of Rav Schwab zt”l!!
You think he didnt know about the Mahra”m Ruttenberg, the Tosfes Yomtov, R’ Lipman Heller????!!
HOW DARE YOU!!
SHAME ON YOU!
I AM BEING MOCHE TO PROTECT MY REBBIS KAVOD!
Perhaps the embarrassment being visited upon us is because of the way our “rabbinic leaders” have denigrated and undermined our own Torah system of Bais Din justice. Several years ago a Bais Din reissued a seuv against a so-called “rabbi” from a prominent “Orthodox” 90 year-old synagogue organization who afflicted and tormented a widow, declaring the “rabbi” to be a moser and that all the Halachos of Yoreh Deah section 334 applied to him. Instead of enforcing the seruv, the VP of the organization issued a letter UNDERMINING the Bais Din. When that strategy began to unravel, the organization created a forgery to make it appear the seruv was lifted, a felony under state law.
So why should we be upset when Hashem meets out justice through the FBI and IRS?
Rav Shwab was right,
Anyone who argues entrapment doesn’t know the law nor do they understand the rules of entrapment. the argument for entrapment only applies if the person wasn’t “predisposed” to commit the crime. That means that if the FBI informant approached these individuals and they did it for him as a “favor” that’s entrapment. However, if these individuals were doing this prior to the informant’s request, then its not entrapment. (Think of it like a drug dealer selling to a police officer – the same rules apply)
The fact that orthodox jews allow themselves to be pulled into such behavior and have members of the community argue over whether we are finding them guilty or innocent adds to the chillul hashem. if they are innocent then it will be proved, however the fact that they brought shame on the community is really what we should be upset about.
To all the commenters who said that we can’t apply Rav Schwab’s ideas here I would ask did you ever give a d’var Torah on the Parsha? Did you ever try to apply something in the parsha to our times? (Hint: If you say “no” then you’re lying.)
If we can try to apply things that the Avos did and said to our times then we certainly can do so with something said by a great Talmud Chachom just 20 years ago. And it doesn’t have to be an exact parallel to make the point. Something, this editorial has done beautifully.
Enough with all this lomdus why this is not a chillul Hashem. The world looks at all this as something wrong which disgraces the name of Hashem! This is nothing less than a Mechalel Sheim Hashem Barabim!
R’ Schwab’s words definitely apply here!
A noted maggid shiur from an excellent yeshiva told me that his father took him to Rav Shimon Schwab zt”l for a brocha when he was about to become a bar mitzva bachur. Reb Shimon asked the father of the bachur why are there no g’dolim in America. He said that in terms of hasmadah, the talmidim in Lakewood and elsewhere are equal to those in Mir in his time before, during, and after WWII. In terms of kishronos (talents), it’s hard to beat the talmidim in Lakewood. So, why don’t we have American g’dolim? It is, he said, because of treife gelt. Treife gelt, acquired through deception and illegal means found its way into the yeshiva system as tzedaka, etc.
So someone explain this to me. Innocent until proven guilty or not, how is the matzav of Am Yisroel improved by this story being broadcast to the entire world? How are we not put into greater tzakanah during the nine days when Rabbanim (tzaddikim or not) are accused like this?
Even if everyone is fully acquitted how is this not a Chillul Hashem?
While I am perfectly willing to be dan l’kaf zchus it’s pretty hard to imagine that there is absolutely noting to this. I think that Rav Schwab’s point is simple and on point in this regard. If you are a community leader, a tzadddik or just a basic frum yid you accept a higher standard upon yourself and the way you act. You should therefore never be even close to a situation that could even remotely be viewed as acting in a way contrary to the torah or civil laws.
May this be a start of achdus and that this Tisha B’Av is our last.
Source? does any one know please advise? has anyone seen the original article?