Rav Yitzchok Hutner once related that while learning in the Slabodka yeshiva in Europe, he often heard America referred to as the “Goldeneh Medinah,” but living in the poverty that was rampant in Eastern Europe at that time, he couldn’t even begin to imagine the wealth and excess being referred to. Even upon arriving on America’s shores, he and all the immigrants with whom he associated continued living under very simple and modest conditions.
Hearing those around him complain about the difficulty involved in finding a job that paid a reasonable salary and allowed a person to observe his religious traditions, Rav Hutner remained cynical about the reports that America was a country where money was the most precious commodity and dollars rolled down the streets. One day that all changed.
During the week of Parshas Tetzaveh, Rav Hutner was walking outside when he noticed two young Jewish boys playing ball in front of their house. The older boy was regaling his younger brother with all that he had learned in yeshiva about the lofty position of the Kohen Gadol: his special garments designed to invoke glory and splendor, the korbonos he offered in the Beis HaMikdosh, and his unique role in effecting atonement for the entire nation on Yom Kippur. The younger boy listened with interest and fascination, envisioning the action transpiring before his very eyes. He paused to take it all in and digest it before asking, “Tell me, what was his annual salary?” Sadly, Rav Hutner realized that he had finally been welcomed to the Goldeneh Medinah, where the emphasis on the pursuit of the mighty dollar takes precedence over spiritual goals and aspirations. (R’ Ozer Alport)
