Thursday, March 25, 2010

Niskatnu Hadoros V'hashiurim




















Elsewhere on the jblogosphere, it is being discussed whether the measurements of today were the same as those of yesteryear, or not.

Having lived in only one era, I have nothing to add to that conversation. But having lived in a time with Reb Moshe Feinstein, Reb Yaakov Kamenetzky, Rav Ruderman, Rav Hutner and the Steipler Rav, to name just a few, it is pretty clear to me that there is a precipitous decline in the generations.

In my youth, the park benches were filled with older men playing chess, checkers and backgammon. Although the former require more cerebral activity than the latter, the mind is nevertheless engaged.

Today, those same park benches are filled with their progeny. Regrettably, card games and dominoes have replaced games of intellect with games of chance. The next generation will not even go to the park, they will sit at home with their Ipods and play electronic Swing, Slide and Seesaw.

At least the Ipods will have all the students' Seforim also installed. Otherwise, I don't know how the Rebbes will be able to compete with the advances of the Electronic Age.

7 comments:

  1. I like the cartoon. Reminds me of a scene where the mother asks the child to go outside and play, next frame you see him playing his computer game from outside through the open window.

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  2. It's a good moshol, but where I live I still see older men playing chess and backgammon. :)

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  3. no. You're wrong. It's akshir dora all the way. I tremble form the erudition and piety of the younger generation.

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  4. Does anyone know why some Gedolim are referred to as Reb, while others are referred to as Rav?

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  5. How well did you know the rabbis mentioned in the post?

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  6. I spoke to all of them with the exception of the Steipler Rav, whose Levaya I attended.

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  7. Bray, my feeling is that we are doing a better job with the public, but the yechidim of old who grew into gadlus, showed much individuality, something which is not easily tolerated nowadays.

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