Foreword, Winter 2012

WITH GRATITUDE TO HASHEM YISBARACH, and with appreciation to our many contributing writers, we are pleased to present this second issue of Klal Perspectives.

The response generated by our introductory issue was gratifying. Readers appreciated the introduction of a serious forum to address major issues confronting our community, and were pleased with the range of participants and their contributions. Many reported that the Journal stimulated thought and discussion amongst their family, friends and communities, and others shared and discussed the issues raised with their Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshiva. We hope that this response will continue through this and future issues.

Many constructive suggestions were submitted, which are welcome and appreciated. The concern perhaps most frequently expressed was whether these discussions will lead to practical solutions. We share this concern and will continue encouraging our contributors to embrace the difficult challenge of proposing such solutions. Discussion alone often leads to renewed creativity and thought, and the submissions in these pages may prove to serve as such a trigger.

The current issue is devoted to the 21st-Century Orthodox family, with a specific focus on the changes created by the increased presence of women in the workplace. This is, of course, but one of many factors affecting the contemporary family dynamic, and one which is approached and addressed very differently along the spectrum of our intended readership. As such, in preparing this issue, we sought the participation of researchers, professionals, educators, rabbis and rebbetzins from a variety of backgrounds.  We are grateful to the contributing writers for the time, effort and thought they invested in opening this discussion.  We are hopeful that as the discussion progresses we will hear from an even broader representation of our community.

The articles presented in this issue are intended only as the beginning of a discussion on this important subject. Readers are encouraged to add to the discussion by submitting articles and letters, and by sharing the Journal with leaders who could add meaningfully to the conversation.

We close by reiterating our hope that the discussion in these pages will always represent a sincere effort to identify the truth of מה ד’ אלקיך שואל מעמך , what Hashem seeks of us, and with the prayer we are all to recite as we enter the bais hamedrash:

We close with the prayer we are all to recite as we enter the Bais haMedrash:

יהי רצון מלפניך ה’ אלקי ואלקי אבותי שלא אכשל בדבר הלכה וישמחו בי חבירי ושלא אומר על טהור טמא ועל טמא טהור ולא על המותר אסור ולא על האסור מותר ולא יכשלו חבירי בדבר הלכה ואשמח בהן גל עיני ואביטה נפלאות מתורתך