Dear Kosher Spirit,
I always enjoy reading your very informative and professional magazine. Regarding the interview with Rabbi Prizant, I just want to comment on how special and refreshing it is in our times to have someone refer to his parents as “wonderful” and to his parental home as “the best atmosphere for both physical and spiritual growth.” I am almost 60 years old B”H and have never heard or read such a pleasant description of a home. Everyone I speak to, whether in N.Y. or Israel, seems to be full of complaints and blame against their parents and schools for whatever goes “wrong” in their lives. They don’t internalize the fact that, as Rabbi Prizant said, “The steps of man are ordered by Hashem.” We have to try our best, but all that happens is ultimately part of the Divine plan, and people should learn to accept that in order to reach the madreigah of this special Rav.
Anonymous
That’s the Spirit!
Even small children know that on the night of the Exodus from Egypt, “U’lchol B’nei Yisroel lo yechratz kelev l’shono.” not a single dog barked at B’nei Yisroel as they were departing. That is why we have the din to feed meat deemed non-kosher to the dogs, as a reward to them. A question is asked, “why do we honor the dogs just because they didn’t bark? The frogs had complete mesiras nefesh and jumped into the ovens and fire!” The answer is that sometimes it’s harder to bite your tongue than to jump into fire…
Today, there are extraordinary dogs as well. Navy SEAL Team 6, the elite special forces unit that eliminated the most wanted terrorist, has specially trained canine members to assist in dangerous missions. These Belgian Malinois (similar to a German Shepherd) undergo rigorous training and learn to jump from airplanes, handle difficult terrain, and scout dangerous locations wearing mounted video cameras and sensors.