Q:
According to the way you explained the mitzvah of ובו תדבק, that we should cling to Hashem by living next to the Gedolei Yisroel so every Jew would have to live only in New York because where else are there Gedolei Yisroel?
A:
I cannot tell you exactly where all the Gedolei Yisroel are — they’re not only in New York, absolutely not — but if you are saying that Jews should live in New York, there is no question that is true. Because where will you find an equal concentration of frum people in the United States like you find in New York? And naturally, nobody should leave a good Jewish environment unless he has some very important reason.
You have to realize what is doing outside of New York City. I lived for a long time outside, and I can tell you. You people don’t realize you are living behind a wall of protection. Outside, it is very different, very different. You hear far-off cities — I don’t want to mention any names; there is yeshiva, a big yeshiva here and a big yeshiva there. The yeshiva is very fine, but outside of the yeshiva, it is still very far away from what we understand.
I was recently at a banquet, served outside of New York City. It was a banquet where only talmidei chachomim attended, the best talmidei chachomim, the highest kind. I was shocked what I saw. Something could never happen even in a moderately frum banquet in New York City. There were gentile women who were waiters, with short sleeves; women waiters in a banquet with talmidei chachomim?
The answer is, it is outside of New York City. It is a different world.
Now, you’ll tell me, well it is only at this place. But other places, other things take place.
So if you ask, should you leave New York City, I would say absolutely not, unless you are going to a better place.
August 30, 1979
