Learning Is Not Enough

Rav Elchanan Halperin was a gadol in Torah who was recently niftar [in London]. He related the following story.

He was on a long trip on a train in Europe before the war. He observed a young man holding a small gemara who entered one of the sections where they had seats and sat down to learn. After some time, a Gentile woman entered his section. There was no problem with yichud because there were other people in the area together with them. He nevertheless stood up, left the area and went to a different part of the train where there were no seats. He proceeded to stand and learn with his small gemara for the next TEN HOURS [!!]. Then the woman left the train and the young man sat back down and continued learning uninterrupted.

The young masmid and kadosh later became the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Zchuso Yagein Aleinu.

I recently heard a Rabbi relate that he had plans for his flight - namely, to learn the gemara he had brought with him and "to catch two movies".

Sweetest friends - Everything the gemara stands for is against everything on the tamei movie screen and all of the tumah on the screen is diametrically opposed to everything the gemara represents. A person who wants to achieve shleimus can't have both. Kedoshim Tihiyu is a mandate that obligates us at all times. If one has a weakness and succumbs at times that is one thing but we must not glorify our human failings. Being "Modern Orthodox" doesn't permit aveiros, bittul Torah and especially compromising one's Kedushah.

Part of being a Jew is learning with hasmada. There is no greater mitzva than to learn and regardless of how one earns a living, every second one is learning he is fulfilling the greatest mitzva that exists. Another part of being Jewish is guarding the standards of shmiras einayim and gidrei kedusha. As the dangerous summer approaches - let us be mischazeik!:-)