Shabbat Shalom

B"H

"Chodesh Tov - Have a great new month !" - to everyone. Today is Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the beginning of the new Jewish month Sivan.
A Rosh Chodesh can also stand for a new beginning in life; so, lets begin something and get prepared for Shavuot. Despite that I am tired and think about hanging around lazy at the beach in Tel Aviv.

Sunny weather in Tel Aviv (in Jerusalem as well) and I am soon going to back for Jerusalem. Meeting a Shearim reader from New York and taking him to some chassidic Tishes.

A few days ago, I heard the typical Israeli discussion about "whether Haredim should go to work and not study the whole day". The Israeli press this subject and actually the discussion took place on a haredi radio channel. The radio guy was so much in favour of Haredim not working. It was unbelievable.

The person he was interviewing was a Knesset member from the Sephardi haredi SHASS party who said that a Haredi who doesn't fit into the Yeshiva / Kollel frame should take the consequences and go to work. The radio guy almost freaked.

I think it is a typical Israeli issue, as most Haredi (I suppose) in the US or England go to work. There the state is not paying welfare for people who only study and you have to earn your living.

The Shass politician was right. In Israel, you have countless of young Haredim who just don't fit into a Yeshiva and prefer hanging around. You see them standing at street corners or even walking in parks watching sun - bathing girls. The Internet Cafes are packed with Haredim.
I don't understand the whole issue with "not working". There are a very few Talmidim Chachamim (wise students) and they should study but trying to force thousands of young Haredim into Yeshivot in order to keep up society demands is ridiculous.

Rabbi Hirsch had a brilliant but unique Torah (Parashat Toldot) commentary on the way Rivka (Rebekka) and Yitzchak raised their two sons Esav and Yaakov. The Rabbi commentates that if the parents had realized that Esav was not a study type at all and had, instead, provided him with a job or something physical to do, he would have not turned out that bad.
Rabbi Hirsch concludes that sometimes a parent should realize the abilities of his child and act according to that. Esav was not happy studying and thus started looking for more excitement in life. And when you look at our forefathers or even many Talmidim Chachamim in the past, most of them worked besides their studies. Even the Baal Shem Tov in his early years while he was living with his wife in the forest and growing herbs.

Or look at myself (although I am "only female):
I work and study.

It is possible combining the two although it is hard. But that's life.

"Shabbat Shalom - Gut Schabbes" to all of you !