Reply To: Book Review – One Above and Seven Below: A Consumer's Guide to Orthodox Judaism

Since Comlink complained that this is more of a recommendation for the book than a review, as thread title claims, I figured I’d pass on the following Dvar Torah someone wrote based on the writings of Rav Yechezkel Hirshman’s Sefer this thread is discussing (1A7B – Achas L’Maala V’Sheva L’Matta):

Rashi continues further down describing what happens when a person does not toil in Torah:

Rabbi Hirshman explains that there are two types of people: consumers and providers. He writes:

Of course, on some level, we are all consumers. When we buy food, we are relying on the kashrus organization to be doing proper checks on the product. We are the consumers, and they, who are knowledgeable of this particular product, are the providers. But, in many matters of halachah and Jewish thought, it is imperative that one strives to be a provider.

He writes that there are six hazards to being a consumer:

2. A lack of intellectual capacity to discern between an authentic religious phenomenon and a semblance of one. People who read blogs written by so-called Orthodox writers tend to fall for their arguments due to their lack of knowledge in certain areas.

5. A lack of knowledgeable conviction to inspire subsequent generations to remain within the fold.

6. A consumerist Jew is in danger of regarding himself to exist on a plane that is separate from other observant Jews whereas, and in many cases because, he does not comprehend their ideology. This is where Isaiah comes in:

He continues on with different examples of each of these hazards, but if a person is honest with himself, he can find several of these in his own life, either currently or (hopefully, just) in his past.

This, I believe, is the fundamental difference between a Ben Torah, and religious Jew who is not. One does NOT need to sit in kollel all day and learn. However, he needs to recognize the fact that toiling in Torah is one of the most fundamental aspects of Judaism and one of the most important things he can do for himself and for his future generations. The more one is educated about the product that he is trying to use, the better he is able to use such a product and pass it on to others.