5:55 PM
Gil Student
There are more letters in The Jewish Week. Here are excerpts from two excellent ones:
Very Distressing
It was with great sadness that I read the article by Gary Rosenblatt headlined "Rabbinically Incorrect" (July 30) just two days after Tisha b'Av, a day commemorating the destruction of our Holy Temple because of sinas chinam ("improper hatred"). The belittling comments made by some people quoted by Mr. Rosenblatt are unfortunately part of the reason we remain in golus (exile).
Rabbi Herschel Schachter is unquestionably one of the great tzaddikim of our day, a holy rav who has taught me personally not only the sweetness of Torah and the Torah's attitude toward women, but also proper behavior and derech eretz (the right way to act) toward women, and life in general.
Once while driving Rabbi Schachter home after a shiur, I asked him why he does not respond to people who criticize him. His answer, in a nutshell, was one should be stringent on the biblical command to "Love thy neighbor as thyself." He refused to answer harsh, inappropriate critics (outside of providing halachic responses to questions they raised) because it would serve no purpose other than furthering strife...
Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt Woodmere, N.Y.
Utmost Deference
Your recent article "Rabbinically Incorrect" (July 30) falls short from both the standards of professional journalism and Jewish ethics.
Professional journalistic standards dictate that an article present a complete picture rather than innuendo based on statements taken out of context. Can one honestly say that a shiur that speaks of the bina yetera, the extra dose of wisdom given to women, is an affront to them? Can one truly suggest that a shiur that creates a typology of women as identified closely with God’s characteristic of kel mistater, the Hidden God, as offensive?
To quote one line out of the technical context in which it was stated - to emphasize the fact that the reading of the ketubah is not a religious act - is very unfair and unprofessional...
A public apology and request for forgiveness is due Rav Schachter by the editor of The Jewish Week.
Rabbi Kenneth Auman New York, N.Y.
