by Shmuli Mogelowitz
Yes, it is true. In the past six weeks, this one individual is responsible for more Torah being learned in this state than all of the aforementioned organizations combined. This one man is, yes, George Floyd.
On account of Mr. Floyd, people got up the nerve to restart the gzairos against chinuch when it was safe to do so. Before this, people did not wish to take on the mayor. Only when they saw the double standard – numerous mosdos of chinuch realized the tremendous disparity in how Klal Yisroel is being treated and how the protestors are being treated.
A ZCHUS
Is it a zchus? We know that Balak offered korbanos to give a klallah to klal Yisroel. Yet, in that zchus, he was zocheh to have rus and Dovid HaMelech emanate from him. There is no question, it seems, that Mr. Floyd gets a zchus here.
And yes, it is true that he robbed a pregnant woman at gunpoint. It is true that he may have passed on a forged twenty dollar bill and that he may have had a drug problem. But yesh, koneh olamo b’shaa achas – there is something that he had done that earned him having the zchus of having so many tinokos shel bais raban studying Torah for so long.
The mussar haskel to us is that we may be reshayim, we may have done terrible avlahs. But we can also have one zchus, one merit, that can be responsible for remarkable turnarounds and we can get incredible zchusim for doing that. We should use this thought as an inspiration.
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23 Responses
“Is it a zchus? We know that Balak offered korbanos to give a klallah to klal Yisroel. Yet, in that zchus, he was zocheh to have rus and Dovid HaMelech emanate from him. There is no question, it seems, that Mr. Floyd gets a zchus here.“
I always wondered about “unintended zchusim”
Just FYI I think balak wanted to be closer to Hashem and that’s why he brought the karbanos
As an aside if what you said is true then yoshke has a lot of “zchusim” because onkelos asked him if he should convert so if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t have onkelos
wrong, it is ZAHAL in Eretz Yisroel who is responsible for the most torah learning in the world,we have over a hundred thousand chareidi Jews forced to sit and learn because they refuse to do their share in defending their holy country
This headline is attention grabbing. But I do not accept it as a valid position at all. It assumes, which would be a horrible accusation against entire groups in Klal Yisroel, that the same Torah learning was absent while yeshivos were not open. I hate to believe there is truth to that. Most bochurim of yeshivos, as well as yungerleit from kollelim, were appropriately engaged in learning schedules rather similar to those of the yeshivos and kollelim. Some had shiurim via phone or Zoom, others might not have had. But to credit the rioting and Floyd’s death with causing huge amounts of learning is dishonest, degrading to Klal Yisroel, and a shameful thing to even utter, let alone push into media like YWN.
It is a patent mistake to attribute the success of Torah learning to yeshiva structure. It is undoubtedly a useful element, and for many individuals, it is critical. But there is so much learning that occurs outside of these mosdos. How many shuls have regular shiurim with significant attendance and participation? How many individuals engage in learning at home, online, etc.? How much learning is done by those who are not formal talmidim in yeshivos? The premise that this learning does not exist is a disgraceful thing to say. Frankly, I wonder why YWN published this piece.
following their rabbeim and learning Torah keeps the country safe just as much as the soldiers. do you think without zchus Torah the medinah would exist as it does? more than that, the military is already overpopulated, what do they need another hundred thousand bochurim for? (this is without even mentioning that there zionist rabbonim that have said not every bochur should go to the army, and that these bochurim are following their rabbonim who might know a tiny bit better than you). you should read what rav kook says about bochurim going to the army, you might be surprised at what you find
Picture credit?
Yeshiva Gedola of Carteret – Approx 10 years ago.
They are making a virtual dinner 8pm tomorrow night at
TheTributeDinner.com
I like this post from Reb Shmuli M. Yasher Koach
“On account of Mr. Floyd, people got up the nerve to restart the gzairos against chinuch when it was safe to do so.”
Stop with the nonsense that this was a gzeirah against chinuch.
This very well may be the silliest article I have ever read in my life
LOL
the Rambam say that bilaam has no cheileck in olam habah which mean that he doesn’t enjoy the zchus
I’m sorry that I read this article.
Ridiculous article on so many levels. YWN what happened that you can no longer just stick to the news? Enough of the pointless pondering and peddling of silly excuses for articles/“Divrei Torah”. We look to our Gedolim to get our hashkafah, we come here to get the news.
This is one of the most ridiculous and dangerous things I have ever read. Why does YWN give a platform for these distorted ideas? There was no gezeira by the government against chinuch. The government closed schools and yeshivos to save lives and even if they had not done so, we would have needed to do so ourselves. What right does anyone have to minimise of all the zechusim of the organisations quoted who have done everything they can to maintain limmud haTorah and measure them against the acts of crazy protesters, many of whom themselves have no regard for human life and property ? Some people just need to screw their head on the right way round. Please don’t plant this madness in people’s minds!
nice purim torah
Galus Torah……Totally absurd. In the “zchus” of George Floyd, murder, looting and wanton destruction of property, including Jewish stores and Jewish property……targeted……מגללין חוב על ידי חייב. Those who think a Jew has no obligation to live in Israel are close to the absurd galus Torah……it rings true to their ignorant souls
There was m. ur. -der, chaos, looting and millions of dollars of property destroyed, along with many peoples livelihoods. I would not call that a zchus. Its time we left the sack of dirt they call the USA behind and headed home to Israel.
…and Nevuchadnetzar had the great zchus of causing Golus Bavel, which gave us Tamud Bavli. Silliness.
So because of George Floyd, yeshivas were allowed to reopen, and for that reason, Torah learning increased. Are you really that willing to insult every student of those yeshivas by claiming that they didn’t learn (or didn’t learn as much) when the yeshivas were closed? Really? There was so much creativity shown in finding new ways to learn. For instance, many shuls where the rav would give a shiur at shul, the rav began giving shiurim by zoom and sending links to his entire membership. Instead of a handful of people showing up to the shiurim, hundreds were able to download the shiurim and listen on their own time. I find the headline to this article cynical, and the theme nonsensical if not downright insulting.
This article can’t get stupider. I think we need to start giving a mei shebairach to nevuchadnetzar without him burning down the bais hamikdash, Hashem would have distroyed us (hishlich chamaso al eitzim va’avanim). We might also have to give a me shebairach to hitler yemach shemo. Before the war there was a lot more haskalah mixed into the haimisher community. Because of this stupid Purim Torah, I’ll start making a lechayim for Haman, without him we would have never had a Purim!!!
believe it or not, for some reason I’m not jealous of their zechusim!!!!!!!
“It is true that he may have passed on a forged twen” it is TRUE that HE MAY HAVE ??? what does that mean? this is not a therapy session here lol. either its true that he did or its true that he did not. if he did not then say so or dont mention it . if he did , say so , if you dont know, then you do not know the truth .
yes after the KLIPAH was killed more torah can be leaened.
unless you believe gorge was the Tzadik who stopped the MAGAIFA with his death.
Thank you YWN for reminding me why I don’t read your stuff much anymore. What absolute drivel! Bordering on kefira too.
@moshe pickle June 17, 2020 3:39 pm at 3:39 pm “yes after the KLIPAH …. ”
interesting choice of words! pickle is oisiyois klipeh !!! [ or almost :)] ok – the different order of the same oisiyos may
have a very different meaning or even the opposite. but lechatchila lechumrah u can add something and call urself pickleberg!