יום שלישי, י״ד אב תשפ״וTuesday, July 28, 2026
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Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein is the founding editor of Crosscurrents.com and the author of sefarim on the Maharal and Nesivos Shalom.
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I knew what my heart told me. We were staring at the face of evil, with a decision by a regime without conscience to inflict pain, misery and death on millions of people.
Would we prefer to be right, or effective? The answer, as Torah Jews, is that we have to be both: right and effective. That means increasing our sensitivity to the way others perceive us, whether we think those perceptions as justified or not.
There are several reasons why we should not. It might have been different had the cathedral tumbled shortly after its opening when the Church was at the height of its powers of oppression. But it burned last week.
What happens when frum Jews show technical compliance with Torah law but more exuberance and passion for material things? Or when they speak the language of rejection, racism, or extreme isolationism?
A monastery in Israel is desecrated, almost certainly by nationalist extremists. The desecration was condemned by the prime minister and others in the government. Chief Rabbi Metzger called it a “heinous deed.” The Internal Security minister did not hesitate to use the word “terror” and announced the formation of a special police unit to combat it. Many people traveled to the monastery to personally apologize, including Rabbi Dov Lipman of Beit Shemesh, who took brush in hand to help scrub the offensive words from the walls.
July 24, 2026 
