Chronicles Of Crises In Our Communities – 4/16/10
Latest update: April 4th, 2012
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More ire and words of wisdom for Unfaithful (Chronicles 2-19-10)
Dear Rachel,
I take issue with your column becoming a forum for every sickening person to have his or her “2 minutes of fame” aired in public. That this person will have children who could grow up to be murderers is a given and he shouldn’t be surprised at the connection: the Commandment against murder (Lo Tirtzach) is directly followed by the Commandment against adultery (Lo Sinaf). The meforshim explain that should one commit adultery, the direct result will be to produce progeny who are murderers.
These are not only commandments given to us Jews; they are part of the seven Noahide Laws and are supposed to be practiced by all humankind. The writer flagrantly flaunts his disgusting behavior, boasts of not just “walking the streets” and “doing it” but is also coarsely proud of getting others to follow in his lewd footsteps.
Though I am not Chassidic, I have dozens of family members who are: they all married after meeting their respective spouses just 2 – 3 times and all are happy in stable marriages. It is so easy and totally unjustifiable to blame “the system” for one’s craven crimes against G-d and our people.
The writer accomplished precisely what he set out to do: to goad the public readership’s collective mind into the gutter with him. This letter should not have seen the light of day in a Torah-true publication like The Jewish Press!
Respectfully yours
Dear Respectfully,
Unfortunately the world we live in is not what it once was. With the advent of the Internet, many of our own – as letters to this column testify time and again – get caught up in the massive web of degeneracy. Can we really afford to pretend that the menace does not exist and to ignore those who attempt to reach out from the gutter to grasp at some semblance of sanity?
Can we delude ourselves into believing that if we close our eyes everyone will just hang in there, heal or that things will simply improve of their own accord? If we failed to turn the barrel over to pluck loose the rotten apple buried among the fresh ripe ones, would the rot not fester to putrefy all the healthy apples in the proximity of the decay?
Many readers, as a result of their letters to this column (see below for a perfect example), contribute their opinions as well as invaluable perspective learned from their own experiences, all of which are instrumental in some degree towards helping the floundering souls desperate for us not to ignore them or to pretend they do not exist.
Your concern and contribution are herewith acknowledged and appreciated.
Dear Rachel,
I invite the reader to visualize the following common scenario: Several children enjoying the yummy taste of their favorite dinner – grilled hot dogs – wonder in amazement at their grown-up peers standing around eating nothing. Do they know what they’re missing?
In reality, the grown-ups know well what hot dogs taste like but they are in on a little secret. They are saving their appetite for the gourmet steaks on the grill that take a little longer to cook. The pleasure of eating a prime cut rib steak cannot quite compare to the 5 or 10 hot dogs – even if you add the relish and mustard! But that’s only if you’re grown-up enough to understand what real eating is all about.
Dear Mr. Unfaithful,
I am sure you’ve experienced many “hot dog-type” pleasures. But I’d like to introduce to you the ultimate love affair that I doubt you are familiar with, based on the way you speak. You see I too have flirted with the temptations and pleasures you refer to as indispensable. But I have found a book that describes in vivid detail the road to ultimate pleasures that will make any pleasure you had until now seem like a mere hot dog in the shadow of the real experience!
You know how you get a little depressed after the sin is committed and the pleasure comes to an end because you have to go home? Deep in your subconscious there’s a gnawing feeling of dissatisfaction. After eating a 40 oz. steak, how much room is there for another 40 oz. steak? In one escapade, how much satisfaction can one achieve?
My book will show you how to increase your appetite and savor the pleasure of this ultimate affair without ever becoming “full.” Also, this book can teach you how to involve your wife and gain her consent to your affair!
I am recommending a novel approach in love affairs that is guaranteed to make you happy and satisfied with pleasures growing every day instead of going stale! All you have to do is follow the book’s instructions carefully and you will be on the road to a complete, pleasure-filled existence.
In the book you will actually be introduced to your new lover. This lover is guaranteed to love you 100% and provide all the pleasures you can dream of. In fact, even as you committed your various sins in the past, this Lover has been with you.
You may not be aware of it, but Hashem loves you very much because He kept your heart pumping even when some of your friends would have loved to see it stop.
The book I refer to is the Torah. Believe it or not, the recipe for the ultimate love affair is found right inside. All it takes is a little growing up to appreciate it! Chazal tell us that the ultimate pleasure is basking in Hashem’s glory.
The thrill of going undercover and secretly indulging your fantasies can also be found when you go against the grain of society and secretly harbor a love for Hashem and think about Him all your waking moments.
When you are ready to grow up and experience this ultimate pleasure, you can speak to any of the many rabbanim in our community and I am sure they will help you. You can also talk to me if you wish, as I am somewhat experienced in the counterfeit pleasures of the world, as well as my ever-growing love affair with the Almighty. I can be reached at levisblugenes@gmail.com.
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We encourage women and men of all ages to send in their personal stories via email to rachel@jewishpress.com or by mail to Rachel/Chronicles, c/o The Jewish Press, 338 Third Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215. If you wish to make a contribution and help agunot, your tax-deductible donation should be sent to The Jewish Press Foundation. Please make sure to specify that it is to help agunot, as the foundation supports many worthwhile causes.
tell a friendAbout the Author: We encourage women and men of all ages to send in their personal stories via email to rachel@jewishpress.com or by mail to Rachel/Chronicles, c/o The Jewish Press, 4915 16th Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11204. If you wish to make a contribution and help agunot, your tax-deductible donation should be sent to The Jewish Press Foundation. Please make sure to specify that it is to help agunot, as the foundation supports many worthwhile causes.
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