An Open Letter to our Hiloni Brethren

Guest post by yo shemesh😎

In response to Natan Slifkin’s latest invective, we share with you this beautiful post from our coolest reader, yo shemesh.

We know that some of you have shared in our grief and bereavement over the Shechinah for many years and especially in the difficult days since the founding of the state of Israel. In the last seventy years, we have seen the help and solidarity efforts of many Hilonim in a variety of ways to help our mission of restoring the glory of God and abiding by His laws. We know that many have joined our cause, have done Teshuvah, and have made God a real presence in their lives.

We are also aware that you, like the whole of Hiloni society, attach great importance to secular values and misplaced spirituality (such as the importance of this land), and see in it a supreme value and even assistance in the continuity the people of Israel. But none of these can replace the study of Torah and adherence to its laws. This is the moral and civil duty of any Jew. The absence of that standard constitutes a distinction between caring about what God cares about and not caring. This reality is no longer bearable.

For those who think that they are not suited for a life of Torah, we say: Many of us are not suited to this life. None of us are suited to give up our every whim for a Higher Power. None of us are suited to sitting over these old, boring books in place of the lives every human inclination desires. We all do this because it is impossible to live without Torah, and we are all responsible for maintaining God’s presence: it cannot be that their lives are completely devoid of Torah, when I and my children bear the entire responsibility. My blood is not redder than theirs.

We don't even need you all to become Haredi. We just want you to pitch in and share the burden, or at least not complain about our shortcomings so much. They exist, no doubt, but they should be criticized only in the context of appreciating our values.

We have given up hope in the leaders of the Hiloni society, the heads of government, heads of universities, politicians, and bloggers.

Call on yourselves to enlist in Yeshiva. To at least begin a Seder of Torah study. To keep the Mitzvot with more devotion. To start to care about the importance of the Mitzvot

We pledge to support you. We would be happy to meet to talk and think together about how we will act towards this step.

It is thanks to Torah adherence that Israel was redeemed. May it be that thanks to you and thanks to the sons who will do Teshuvah, that He who makes will make peace in the highest places will make peace for us and for all of Israel.

Yo 😎