- Q. My most very dear Rabbi Shlit”a and good friend. As you well know, my beloved family including my neighboring friends, B’H have a very nice great and friendly group of Yeshiva Torah learning children in our mixed neighborhood. Every week when our Holy Shabbos comes, we all walk together with our kids to shul.
During this seasons so noticeable “holiday times,” by and large mostly dedicated to our Gentile neighbors traditions and beliefs, our streets are very beautifully decorated with all their usual traditional religious seasonal decorations and adornments.
Our group of children (more or less, between five and ten), walking together to shul, have a tendency, as many other youngsters including Jewish children everywhere else have, that when they see an unavoidably beautiful decorated house, store, and street decorations, they actually not only to just look at them, but stop and enjoy their appearance and beauty, and comment among themselves about it.
What should a Frum Torah family parents do when facing such a common, yet contrary to our very most basic Torah beliefs and principles do?
A: Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is that in principle, obviously you have to stop your young children from gazing and admiring those Avoda Zarah decorations. It is best done while explaining to them the truth of what they stand for.
Yet instead of saying punishing words or being angry and severe with the children, that may indeed just have the opposite effect, one should try ‘Letzanusso D’ Avoda Zarah’ (Megila 24b) or making fun, ridiculing and using derogatory great and funny jokes towards it. That will likely be far more acceptable and effective.”
(See rest of answer in “That is my answer” article on Parshas Miketz 85.)
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by, Horav Yaakov Hirschman, Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller, Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu and Horav Kalman Ochs Shlit'a
Important Numbers
