{"id":141879,"date":"2021-09-05T10:17:49","date_gmt":"2021-09-05T18:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=141879"},"modified":"2021-09-05T11:58:06","modified_gmt":"2021-09-05T19:58:06","slug":"rabbi-shlomo-hollands-trail-of-tears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=141879","title":{"rendered":"‘Tears: Man\u2019s, G-d\u2019s & The Angel’s’"},"content":{"rendered":"

“All professions strive to maximize the range of their legitimate authority.” (Allan V. Horwitz)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” (Unknown)<\/em><\/p>\n

Rabbi Holland grew up in Lakewood and moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s. He became the principal of Bais Yaakov. Around 1988, he became a teacher at YULA. He served on the Beit Din for conversions at the Rabbinical Council of California (RCC) with Rabbi Avraham Union and Rabbi Gershon Bess. Then he shifted away from working with children and went to Israel for a year around 1996. He then became a fundraiser for the Los Angeles Kollel and moved back to Lakewood to work with at risk youth. One thing that is interesting about him is the depth of his support among certain rich Orthodox Jews in Fairfax-La Brea. Another thing that is interesting about Rabbi Holland is the depth of feeling about him in many different directions. To know Rabbi Holland is to lose the capacity for indifference. <\/p>\n

I grew up in stiff upper-lip Anglo culture in Australia. Judaism’s emotional intensity has been a welcome new direction for me. I have Jewish friends who tell me that they’ve been the only people crying at goyisha funerals. <\/p>\n

Normal Judaism creates intense ties among people. Abnormal Judaism create abnormal ties among people. Criminal expressions of Judaism creates criminal ties among people. Atheist expressions of Jewish identity can create religious-like ties among people. Jewish life is intense and constantly surprising. I notice that Torah tends to strengthen people in any direction they want to go. <\/p>\n

Working for Lakewood or YULA is like working for the Mafia or the Vatican. You’re protected (until you’re whacked). Rabbi Aron Tendler<\/a> taught at YULA girls school for years in the 1980s and carried on affairs with his students. This was widely known in the community but the only thing that was done about it was to eventually shift him to the boys school and then to the largest Orthodox shul in the San Fernando Valley. Why would powerful rabbis at the RCC protect someone like Rabbi Aron Tendler? The explanation that makes the most sense is that they have mutually assured destruction on each other. <\/p>\n

I knew this Orthodox rabbi who served time in prison for possession of child porn. He couldn’t stop himself from sharing words of Torah wherever he went. Most people would be ashamed to teach Torah after a conviction for child porn, but this rabbi was a Torah Energizer bunny. <\/p>\n

Have you watched the TV series Dr. Death<\/a>? Doctors don’t like informing on doctors who are supported by money and power just like rabbis don’t like removing rabbis supported by money and power. <\/p>\n

When I watched Dr. Death, I felt like I was watching an allegory about how powerful rabbis in the RCC protect each other. Dr. Death killed people through bad back surgeries, just like a minority of RCC rabbis killed people through bad soul surgeries. <\/p>\n

You want to be careful about who you allow to operate on you. You can’t just trust your body to your doctor and your soul to your rebbe. <\/p>\n

I am not objective about the RCC nor am I writing from a position of clean hands and a pure heart. As the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles published Aug. 3, 2007<\/a>: <\/p>\n

But his notoriety as an adult-industry blogger complicated Ford’s search for a spiritual home in Los Angeles’ Orthodox community. The first shul to give him the boot was Aish HaTorah in 1995 for being too antagonistic and again in 1998 when Rabbi Moshe Cohen discovered Ford’s double life as a porn journalist.<\/p>\n

“He was one of the Torah weirdos,” said Rabbi Aryeh Markman, the shul’s executive director. “You get all sorts of people showing up in shul and we bust them. ‘I’m happy you’re looking for a place to daven. But this isn’t one of them.’ And you throw them out. … The antithesis of Torah is porn.”<\/p>\n

Ford journeyed down Pico Boulevard and created a new life for himself at Young Israel of Century City, going by his Hebrew name Levi Ben Avraham. He remained there for three years before being ousted.<\/p>\n

About the same time, he was tossed from the Rabbinical Council of California’s conversion program for “deceit and deception,” administrator Rabbi Avrohom Union said. “Don’t take anything he says at face value.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As the son of a Seventh-Day Adventist preacher<\/a>, I have rebellious feelings about authority that include a kneejerk antipathy for clergy who abuse their position. I became a journalist, in part, to protect myself and others from this abuse. I remember when I was a nobody trying to convert to Judaism, my weakness invited contempt, but when I developed a widely-read blog, nobody abused me any more (particularly after this happened in 2009<\/a>). <\/p>\n

Some people think it is in bad taste for a rebbe to have a mistress. That this somehow makes him inappropriate to run a shul or a yeshiva or a Beit Din that oversees conversions. But hey, it’s the 1980s! It was a different time. Sure, the Torah’s moral standards are eternal, but when you’re living in Los Angeles, you can’t help but be corrupted by the wider culture.<\/p>\n

Some people think it is inappropriate for a teacher at an Orthodox day school to send gifts of lingerie to his female students… Some people think it is inappropriate for an Orthodox rabbi to have extra-marital affairs… Some people think it is inappropriate for an Orthodox rabbi to have affairs with his under-age students… Some people are outraged when the recipients of the rabbi’s affections have nervous breakdowns and die of drug overdoses, but one thing we can all agree on is that these things must be hushed up lest the goyim find out. <\/p>\n

Gaby Wenig writes in the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles March 7, 2002<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\nWhen, as a young woman, Rebbetzin Yehudis Fasman met Chaim, her husband-to-be, he laid out his life plan and made sure that she agreed with it. His plan was not to become a millionaire or to spend hours in the office shooting up the corporate ladder. Nor did he want to become a pulpit rabbi of a large congregation. Instead, his ambition was to simply sit and study. He wanted to devote at least five or six years of his life after marriage to full-time Torah learning in kollel (an institution that supports married men who want to spend their lives studying Torah fulltime) and after that to work in avodas hakodesh (holy work) on behalf of the Jewish people.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Chaim Fasman now holds the position of rosh kollel (head) of Kollel Los Angeles Bais Avrohom, the largest of six kollels in Los Angeles, with 15 full-time learners…<\/p>\n

“The people that chose to learn in kollel see Torah as the main and perhaps only objective of their life,” said Rabbi Shlomo Holland, the director of development at Bais Avrohom. “That means they are going to dedicate their life to learning and studying and to conduct their life according to this Torah. The more they are steeped in this knowledge and the more they have a grasp of its true meaning, the more they are able to live this type of truthful life. It is a dedication \u2014 not to a profession, but a way of life.”<\/p>\n

…”Most people [learning in kollel] have been through the day school system and have gone through a yeshiva high school and have spent a number of years learning in the [post-high school] yeshiva beit midrash [house of study]. Learning in Kollel, is in a sense, the final step in the world of being able to learn full-time,” Holland said.<\/p>\n

…”One has to struggle financially, and one has to learn a contentment on a much simpler level of having physical goods and possessions,” Holland said. “But I see this as less of a strain and more as a unifying factor in the marriage. The wife wants this [lifestyle] as much as the husband does, and this creates a tremendous united effort.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From the 1977 B’nai Brith Messenger in Los Angeles:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

From Matzav.com Oct. 31, 2010<\/a>: <\/p>\n

At about 3 p.m., the new Sefer Torah was danced down Cabinfield Circle and out of Village Park to the nearby Chavrei Hakollel building at 911 Somerset Avenue. Just minutes after the crowd entered the bais medrash and began dancing with gusto, the beams beneath the floor gave way. The men immediately scrambled toward the exit of the bais medrash and, boruch Hashem, there were no injuries of any sort, as the floor did not completely fall through.<\/p>\n

Rav Shlomo Holland, following the dancing outside, told the large crowd, \u201cOne thing to learn from this is that floors don\u2019t hold up Torah, Torah holds up floors!\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Tamar Frankiel writes on the spiritual dynamics of prayer<\/a>: “I learned much from a particular teacher, Rabbi Shlomo Holland, who used to speak of the \u201cworlds\u201d of prayer. He would speak of the \u201cworld of the Shema,\u201d the \u201cworld of Hallel,\u201d and the like. At first I thought this was just colorful language, on the verge of being enticingly kabbalistic, but then I began to understand. It was at once more mundane and more wondrous than the systems of kabbalah. Every prayer is an entry point into a world of feeling, of consciousness, that one can inhabit, just like the world that you and your family and friends create in your home, or the \u201cworkaday world\u201d as we call it.”<\/p>\n

EnglishTorahTapes.com has tapes of Rabbi Holland’s Torah for sale<\/a>, including #113, my personal favorite, “Tears: Man’s, G-d’s & The Angel’s”:<\/p>\n

Self Induced Tests Of Avrohom & Yitzchok
\nEmes- Truth
\nOur Actions Come Before Our Thoughts
\nThe Theme Of Rosh Hashana
\nLessons On Chinuch- (From Mishlei)
\nMan In Search Of His Soul
\nThe Wholeness Of Hashem
\nBitachon & Hishtadus
\nWhat Is An Angel?
\nThe Mitzvah Of Fearing Hashem
\nThe High Holidays (Yomim Noraim)
\nZehirus
\nCreation Of One’s Self
\nThe Spark Of The Neshama In Our Hearts
\nAnger Management
\nJudging One Favorably
\nBirchas Hatorah- Blessings On The Torah
\nOur Role Of Bechirah -Choice
\nThe Longest Journey From Sinai To Israel
\nHow To Love Hashem
\nThe Mitzvah Of Not Turning After Your Hearts
\nA Journey Into The World Of Tefilah
\nThe Secret Of Tefilah
\nMaking Your Tefilah Better
\nThe Purpose Of Tefilah
\nInsights Into Tehillim (Chapter 23)
\nMesilas Yesharim- The Path Of The Just
\nThe Proper Way Of Speech
\nWhat Does Hashem Want?
\nThe Search For Individuality
\nInner Peace
\nFeelings
\nWhat Is the Real World?
\nThe Convergence Of Derech Eretz
\nKedusha: You Shall Be A Holy Nation
\nWhat Is Torah?
\nThe Purpose Of Life
\nIn Whom Do You Trust?
\nWhat Is Existence?
\nBechira & Destiny (Part #1) (see also tape #60)
\nLove & Klal Yisroel
\nHow To Educate Oneself
\nOur Mesorah
\nHashem, Torah & The Jews
\nColliding Worlds Of Truth & Falsehood
\nCoping With Adversity
\nThe Eternal Phenomenon
\nThe Highway Of Life
\nAppreciating Hashem
\nThe Mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem
\nThe Bond Of Love Between G-d & Man
\nBeing Truthful
\nWhat To Aspire For
\nWhy Bad Things Happen To Good People
\nProper Speech
\nThe 6th Day Of Creation
\nThe Final Geulah
\n58) Insights Into Tehilim Chapters #1& #2
\n59) Torah: The State Of The Jewish Nation
\n60) Bechira & Destiny (Part #2) (see also tape #40)
\n61) Proper Parenting
\n62) Purpose Of The Journey From Egypt To Mount Sinai
\n63) Giving The Torah- The Eternal Phenomenon
\n64) What It Means Naaseh V’nishmah?
\n65) An Appointment With Hashem
\n66) The Fire Of Geulah Consumes The Fire Of Galus (Tisha B`av)
\n67) Kedusha: Spirituality Verses Fluff
\n68) Matan Torah- Shovous
\n69) Where To Look For Hashem?
\n70) How Much “Me” Is Important?
\n71) Are We Responsible For The Thoughts Of Our Hearts
\n72) Taking the Lessons From Yom Tovim Into The Year
\n73) How to Cultivate True Love
\n74) Man’s Birth & Rebirth (Rosh Hashanah)
\n75) Techias Hameisim
\n76) In The Absence Of Torah Values
\n77) How One Creates Relationships
\n78) Is The Bais Hamikdosh Still Burning Today?
\n79- 86) 13 Principles Of The Rambam (Parts #1-7)
\n87) Elul
\n88) Selichos
\n89) Shovous: Matan Torah
\n90) Lag B`omer
\n91) The Dignity & Divinity Of Man
\n92) Achdus- The End Of The Journey
\n93) Shovous: Your Own Kabbalas Hatorah
\n94) Shovous Of The Mind
\n95) Shovous: Rus- Mother Of Malchus
\n96) Sefiras Haomer
\n97) Purim
\n98) Jealous Of & Jealous For
\n99) Chanukah Thoughts: Flames That Burn Eternally
\n100) Tisha B’av
\n101) Pesach Insights
\n102) Pesach- The Ten Makkos Of Mitzraim
\n103) The Avodah Of Ellul
\n104) The Ten Days Of Teshuvah
\n105) Sukkos
\n106) How To Act Like G-d
\n107) The Meaning Of Ezer K’negdo
\n108) The Ego- Less Self
\n109) Pesach: Retaining Jewish Identity In The Diaspora
\n110) Redemption: The Season Of Freedom
\n111) Perspectives On The Rabin Assassination
\n112) Ahavas Hashem Through Hakaras Hatov
\n113) Tears: Man’s, G-d’s & The Angel’s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“All professions strive to maximize the range of their legitimate authority.” (Allan V. Horwitz) “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” (Unknown) Rabbi Holland grew up in Lakewood and moved to … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,607],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-los-angeles","category-rcc"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t