RABBI WEIN ON POST-TISHA B’AV THOUGHTS

I spent the better part of the afternoon of Tisha B’Av reading a book recently published concerning the history of Chicago's Orthodox rabbinate from the late 1800s to the middle of the twentieth century. The book has special meaning to me since I knew many of the rabbis described in the book during my early years in Chicago a half-century ago. Also the fact that my father and grandfather are memorialized in the book gave it very special meaning. The book evoked in me many different and even contradictory emotions. On one hand I was in admiration for all of the scholars, those of whom came from Eastern Europe and were great students of great scholars there, who were able somehow to transfer their lives to a very different and alien - even hostile community and environment.