Rav Shimon Schwab, who led Khal Adath Jeshurun for over 35 years, once spoke out strongly against the “audacity” and “shame” of Jews who observe mitzvos such as Shabbos and kashrus meticulously, yet who engage in dishonest business dealings.
“A Jew cannot choose to follow one set of halachos and disregard another,” he declared.
He condemned the “ugly traits” of “gross materialism, blatant selfishness, insatiable love of wealth and brazen disregard for common decency.”
This, he said, was true even when they are accompanied by “excessive charity and benevolence.”
Rav Schwab ended his speech with the rousing call, “Let us proclaim, loud and clear, that we shall have no part of such sickly ‘Yiddishkeit.’ Our aim is to strive for kiddush Hashem, and in order to reach this goal we shall band together and march together, we and our children, with clean hands and pure hearts, toward the dawn of geulah, speedily in our days.”
Reproduced from A Life Worth Living by Rabbi Shraga Freedman with permission of the copyright holders, ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, Ltd.
