Rav Avigdor Miller on Russia Trumps America

A:

And the answer is that, surprising as it may seem, Russia has become one of the best places in the world to live. It’s surprising to us but a lot of people in other countries are thinking of moving to Russia. Because in Russia in all the cities you can walk out on the street at midnight. 

Now the fact that they have repressions there and they don’t permit strikes and many other things that you don’t like, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re bad.  Don’t forget that the punishment of criminals is one of the biggest functions of a decent society and when this is neglected then that society has incurred a great penalty for itself. In Russia they still punish criminals. America on the other hand is under great, I don’t want to say it but chas veshalom we are under great blame for the wickedness that it permits.  

When a society permits degenerates to parade in public it loses its rights. And in Russia you don’t have such displays of immorality like you have in America.  And therefore there are many positive virtues in a society that maintains old-fashioned attitudes.

Now you’ll say that at least America is not atheistic like Russia is. But don’t forget there are plenty of atheists in this country and they’re the ones who are today running the public school system.  The whole educational system is in the hands of atheists here. So what are they better than Russia?  Only that these American atheists are teaching the children to disregard their parents, to do whatever they want, to be homosexuals and revolutionaries, and not to work. Whereas in Russia they’re taught to work. In Russia work is a big virtue.  When Russian boys come here, they may be ignorant of Yiddishkeit, but they’re not wild; they’re not corrupt.  They’re decent citizens.  All they need is Yiddishkeit but as people they’re to be desired.  Desirable people come from Russia. You have to know that a Russian ordinary person, even a gentile and lehavdil surely the Jew, are fine people because they’re not allowed to run wild.

Of course we prefer liberty but who says that liberty has produced the best results?  It has produced a San Francisco which is a haven for rodents, for reptiles. So what’s so good about America?  All the liberty in America is being misused.  

So therefore it’s not a big kasha why Russia is gaining the upper hand today.  

TAPE # 314 (June 1980)