To the editors of Yeshiva World News,
I would like to thank you for your wonderful, informative and clean website. As an upstanding member of Klal Yisroel, I would like to applaud you for the wonderful reporting which you do for – as you call yourself- The Yeshiva World. I would like to thank you for the years of honest, responsible reporting, done Al Pi Derech Hatorah and with sensitivity which reflects true Jewish values.
The reason why I am sending you this email tonight is only because of the high standards which you have set for yourself and which I will hope you will continue to maintain.
We are in Galus, which we hope will shortly be coming to an end with the coming of Mashiach Bemihyrah Byaminu. Chazal say that before Mashiach comes, Klal Yisroel must realize that ayn lanu al mi lehishaen ela al avinu shebashamayim. Us Jews must realize that there is no person who we can fall back on, who we can rely on to help us, but Has hem. The reason why Mordechai told Esther that she may not reveal to which nation she belongs was to insure that Bnei Yisroel to not rely on their “Sister in the Palace” but rather, that they turn to Hashem. In our troubles times, Hashem is slowly removing all those people which we had on whom to rely.
One of the most powerful people in New York State, a Shomer Shabbos Jew is losing his place of power and fame. The reason? So that we can turn to Hashem. For the last twenty years, since Sheldon Silver had become the Speaker, there have been people out to get him. Each year they try anew to find fault and scandals, and each year they have been thwarted. Up until this year that is. The current news could have broken at any point, it could have happened last year, three years ago, seven years ago, or, could have waited another three years to break. Yet it happened now. For us. For a purpose.
I would like to request that when you cover the Silver story, that you do it in a way which befits your wonderful news station. In a way which does not feed onto Lashon Hara, and in a way which does not lead to an increase of Chilul Hashem.
Sheldon Silver has done much for our community in his close to 40 years as assemblyman. It behooves us to show proper Hakaras Hatov and stand strong and tall to our Jewish principles even in the current situation.
I understand that you may continue to cover the story, yet please do it in the best manner possible. “A picture speaks a hundred words” I would like to humbly request that the pictures which you post of Speaker Sheldon Silver, along with the words that follow it don’t just find fault and lead to disgust.
Al Tadin Es Chavercha Ad Shetagiya Limkomo.
Once again, Yashar Koach on your website, it has been a leading example for the Frum community.
Kol Tov,
C. Schwartz
[NOTE: The above letter has been unedited and published exactly how YWN received it.]
NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.
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19 Responses
I would like to ask the letter writer, under what circumstance are we allowed to talk negative about someone? I believe if someone makes a “huge” public chillul hashem we are not only allowed to but we are obligated to in order to distance ourselves from it, especially if that person never recanted or apologized publicly
Why is this Mr Schwatz concerned of loshen horah etc etc only now with the Silvers story?..there were so many other cases similar and we didn’t hear from Mr Shwartz..ale mei he’s not concerned with lashon horah etc etc he’s just a friend so ,please, no genievas dass
You’ve got to be kidding. According to you, “Hashem has been supporting Silver’s corruption and illegal activities so Silver can help Yidden. If we were deserving, Hashem would still support the corruption and illegal activity. However, we are not deserving, so Hashem let Silver get caught because Hashem wants us to daven????” How krum is that thinking?
Wow. This sounds like we really counted on this fellow…
For me, someone who pushed Toeiva recognition isn’t for me “אחות לנו בבית המלך”…
Innocent until proven guilty, but if you do the crime you do the time
What?! this man that pushed through toevah and abortion? Hakaras Hatov? chas v’shalom
What kind of idiocy is this ‘…so we can turn to hashem’ We got plenty other problems that makes us ‘…turn to Hashem”. I don’t need your advice
The letter writer begins by complimenting the high standards of this website.
May I respectfully suggest, in agreement with some of the commenters who responded above, and based on my own observations as well, that your posting of this letter is actually indicative of the fact that your standards leave much to be desired.
To # 2 shimen:
Exactly. In Schwartz’s mind its only “Charedie” people, like Rebbeim, Rabbonim, Yungerlite, etc…that you are allowed to bash & be Motzie Shem Rah, but a Modern Orthodox, walking talking Chillul Hashem like Silver, that is not allowed! Typical!
#3 well, I really didn’t mean this or that group…just pointing out he should be honest and I’ll decide my positon with ‘ hashem’… but while on the subject we see ‘ein chochmah vein tevina neged hashem..’ he was mechallel hashem with..see #4, #6, also ‘lifnei ivayr lo sitain michshol’ see mes. avode zarah and yoreh dayeh that this pertains also to causing gentiles to sin .. so those who push through such laws are in that geder…. The ‘one and only’ doesn’t care that’s its a free country but the world is not free. ‘Ess is nit kein hefker veld..is din veis dayen’ ..In the end everyone gets his just desserts…some sooner some much later, when they’llcompletely forget…’ein shicha milfaneicha’
Excuse please , # 10 should be addressed to # 9
The moment Gay marriage and even so called Gay rights started gaining a foothold in NY a wise man I know predicted Spitzer and Silver would both fall.
Good riddance.
Chaval ….Sheldon Silver for 20 years has been the best for the Jews.
When New York’s kosher Enforcement Bureau was facing shut down, a very prominent Rosh Yeshiva Posek from Speaker Silver’s district spoke to Silver about keeping it open. Silver responded he desperately needs the political for for more important legislation coming up.
Speaker Silver stayed in Albany on Friday night to gather the votes and make sure the legislation passed. It was a personal legislation very close to his heart, it meant everything to him.
That’s how the legislation passed in NY. We all know What Reb Avigdor Miller, Z”L said about that sort of legislation.
“The reason? So that we can turn to Hashem.”
the KEY to success in Judaism if you have faith in Hashem, Hashem has faith in you. (that you will do hisמצות). There’s nothing wrong with getting Chizzuk from a rebbe or a Rosh Yeshiva & learning from their ways etc… theres also nothing wrong with getting a bracha from a rebbe BUT getting a bracha from a rebbe & depending on it AKA: coming home & telling your wife we just got a bracha that were going to have a child or be rich or our daughter is going to have a refu’ah shleima etc… is a lack of Faith in Hashem. The Chovos Halevavos says in the chapter of faith that a person cannot have faith in 2 things (AKA Hashem & a Rebbe, Rav or friend) for when he does, he loses both. (he then brings a mashal (parable) of a Rabbi who needed tapes of his speeches made to sell so he asked 2 of his members to help make them, but he knew if he would ask them together, each one would say the other one is doing it so i don’t need to do it. Instead the Rabbi brought each one in separately & asked each one & was successful.) For when you depend on 2 you lose both.
In the Torah in the Parsha of Shemitta & Yovel, Hashem Guarantees & promises anyone that if they keep these Halachos they will always be taken care of. (either by getting double in the Sixth year or even having extra) Where is Shemitta & Yovel TODAY in the Diaspora? Where can we find this when outside of Israel is not even responsible for these Halachos? The answer is Hashem promises anyone that if he runs his business with %100 honesty (coming to work on time & not even a minute late, never using your office time to check your personal needs or the news on the computer, paying your employees on time etc…) he is guaranteed to always have money & never have the need to struggle to make ends meet. This is where we are holding today, for those of us that have been-& still are- honest, from before the economy started going downhill in the beginning of the century. They are the people that are guaranteed to make it through the economy-even- when it crashes.
Becoming a Baal Betuchen & Emuna (Faith & trust) is no simple matter. A person can’t just say, let me have faith in hashem, it is a long & Difficult journey. Becoming a person of Betuchen & Emuna in Hashem is an average of a 30 year journey minimum. (not from when your born, but from when the journey starts) Do you know what these 30 years are? Only the first 10 percent of the journey is learning every mussar sefer in the world, the other 90 percent of the journey is passing every single Nisayon (test) with Ahava (love) etc… , from accidents to robberies to deaths Chas V’Shalom etc… A true person of Faith knows the mishna in pirkei Avos that says the good & bad is all for the good every minute of the day , 24-7. Every Nisayon that a person gets from Hashem & passes, brings him closer & closer to Hashem & every test that a person experiences gets harder & harder, but a person can never ask Hashem why something bad is happening, because we all know that if a person was not able to pass a test then Hashem would never give it to him. Nothing in the world will effect a person of Bitachon, no matter what happens, cause he knows that everything Hashem does is for the good. Do you know what the reward for being a person of Faith & trust is? The reward is worth more then all the money in the world, the reward is the gift of Happiness, you get to be the happiest person in the world cause nothing in the world will effect you. Now can you tell me a better reward then that?.
Boy, I’m happy this letter writer thinks of himself as a: “upstanding member of Klal Yisroel”.
Pashut anives!
zue1942, thanks for standing up for the truth!
#17 ‘ein mitzvah mechabe aveirah’
#15 excuse, but your whole ptchetal nit oisgehalten. gemmorah beferish some one who has sick person in house he should go to a chacham so he should pray for him. the ran says yaylech atzel chacham smachzik yeshivoh. shinamis went Elisha to mispallell on her child. Kivrei Avos . WE see beferish in the torah by kalev. Even Paroh knew the koach tzaddikim He kept begging Moshe to be mispallel for him. Shass full of episodes of people going to tanoim emorahim to be mispallel Broochos 6b. Sukkah 14a lama tefilasan shel tzaddikum…Of course if someone thinks a tzaddik is instesd of riboni shel… is a fool. But a tzaddig emes gives a bracha yes, that’s eminas tzaddikim’ and I rest assured BISCHUS the tzaddik I will have yeshouh