Q&A: A Correct Remark
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
A Correct Remark
Question
I heard a talk in preparation for the High Holy Days from a Torah scholar who spoke about the importance of unity and setting aside the ego.
After the talk I asked him what he meant by unity. He told me, simply, that the entire Jewish people should unite.
Since the speaker was Haredi (Ashkenazi), I dared to ask: if someone were to suggest to the rabbi an outstanding match from Porat Yosef Yeshiva as a groom, and the only reason preventing him from accepting him was the groom’s ethnic background—would that be the unity the rabbi was talking about?
Did I make a valid remark to the speaker?
Answer
Your remark was in place. Didn’t he answer?
By the way, I don’t think being a prodigy is necessarily the criterion for a good match.
He claimed it was unrelated: there are different customs and Jewish laws for each community. He brought proof that even among Hasidim they zealously preserve the fine points of customs that have been accepted from generation to generation all the way back to the Baal Shem Tov, and that does not harm unity.