Hi,

Here’s a follow up to yesterday’s Torah Minute.

And it takes place in Vienna in 1927.

Sigmund Freud writes the following.

“Civilization has little to fear from educated people…

In them replacement of religious motives for civilized behavior, by other, secular motives, would proceed unobtrusively.”

Not quiet what the Rabbi said in Berlin!

Picture taking a poll at the time.

“Who understands the “human condition” better?

The Eastern European Torah scholar?

Or Sigmund Freud”?

…Ten years later we learned that being educated does not make one civilized!

And that we have as much to fear from educated people as from uneducated people.

The Rabbi was right.

And he learned it from Abraham!

… Here’s a story that happened to me.

We once had car trouble on Interstate 80, driving to New York.

Car after car passed without stopping.

(Unfortunately, these days, stopping to help a stranger could be dangerous!)

Finally, a truck stopped and started backing up on the shoulder.

The driver got out and spent close to an hour helping us.

As he got ready to leave, I thanked him and handed him a twenty dollar bill.

“We really appreciate your stopping.  Please take this for your time.”  

The driver took it and smiled.

“I’ll use it to send my kids to college.

I don’t want them to be a truck driver like their Dad”!

And here’s what I told him.

“Your kids can get all the degrees in the world.

If they won’t do what you just did?

What good is it”!

 Have a great Shabbat,