Not Improving With Age

Rabbi Meir says: Don't look at the bottle but what's in it. New bottles can be full of old wine, and old bottles that don't even have new wine in them." (Avos 4:27)

Wisdom is supposed to increase with age. In some, it seems the desire for attention and zeal for a specific world view also increases. How else to explain this beauty from Rav Mordechai Eliyahu about our non-religious brethren? If this quote is accurate:

"I was once invited to a building housing three synagogues on three floors," the rabbi was quoted as saying. "At the entrance I saw a sign indicating that a Reform prayer house is located on the first floor, a Conservative synagogue on the second floor, while the Orthodox place of Torah study is only on third floor. And I wondered: How can I enter and pass by these synagogues which have the fragrance of hell?"

It's one thing to disagree with Reform and Conservatism. Certainly there's a lot to disagree with. However, there's respect and disrespect and in this case it seems the latter is the case. One can disagree but in a polite fashion. One can refuse to cooperate in a civil fashion. It is in this area that some Orthodox leaders seem to constatly stumble, especially when they seem to be former or current Sephardic chief rabbis!

Our Temple was destroyed because of sinas chinam and we will not be redeemed until that causeless hatred is ended. Our redemption seems to have been delayed by yet another day.