Erev Tish B'Av

We all know that everything occurs for a specific reason. I am sure that many frum people will feel that the NY Post's editorial Shomrim Shanda is just another example of the secular world treating us with the same hatred that we remember throughout the three weeks and especially the Nine Days. Truthfully, the NY Post is right in many respects. The Shomrim do, in fact, obstruct the police. The frum community views the Shomrim as being better than the police (especially when they give priority to our own). But the fact is that these groups act in a way that is just plain disgusting. Covering up for drunk drivers is just the tip of the iceberg and well known by those involved.

We need to take advantage of this time of introspection and of course with the upcoming Elul - to rethink how we interact with the outside world. Instead of promoting our own version of "frum" bias, we need to practice tolerance and respect. Groups like Shomrim and Hatzaloh need to be put back in the right perspective. Not unrelated is the outrageous attempt by a major Jewish organization to continue to suggest that sexual abuse of children should be reviewed by a Rabbi before calling in secular authorities. We have long since learned that these matters must be handled by professionals.

We have terrible tragedy from within and from outside our community. We need to recalibrate our sense of what is right and what is wrong. Too many of our leaders have gotten us into a place where we are acting in a biased and dishonest way. It is time for us to revisit true Torah values and get ourselves back on track.