From: murray.bbs@cybernet.cse.fau.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: L'Chaim
Date: 13 Aug 92 21:25:33 GMT
Organization: Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton

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L'CHAIM             ISSUE #  227 PART                            5 OF 8
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                            INSIGHTS
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   PRAYER IN  PUBLIC SCHOOL      A  letter from the  Lubavitcher Rebbe,
written in 5724 (1964).      In reply to your  inquiry as to whether or
not there has been  a change in my views on the  questions of prayer in
the public schools, inasmuch as this issue has again become  a topic of
the  day  in  connection  with  congressional  efforts  to introduce  a
constitutional amendment  to permit certain religious  exercises in the
public schools.      As I stated then, my views are  firmly anchored in
the  Torah,  Torat Chayim  [the Torah  of  life]. Their  validity could
therefore  not have  been  affected  by the  passing  of  time. On  the
contrary,  if  there could  have  been any  change  at all,  it  was to
reinforce my  conviction of the  vital need  that the  children in  the
public schools  should be allowed to begin their day at school with the
recitation of  a non-denominational prayer, acknowledging the existence
of a Creator  and Master of the Universe, and  our dependence upon Him.
In  my opinion, this acknowledgment is absolutely necessary in order to
impress upon the minds of our young generation that the  world in which
they live is  not a jungle,  where brute force,  cunning and  unbridled
passion  rule  supreme,  but  that  it has  a  Master,  Who  is  not an
abstraction,  but a  personal  G-d; that  this  Supreme Being  takes  a
"personal interest" in the affairs of each and every individual, and to
Him  everyone is  accountable for  one's daily  conduct.       Juvenile
delinquency, the tragic symptom  of the disillusionment, insecurity and
confusion of the young  generation, has not abated; rather  the reverse
is  the case.  Obviously, it  is hard  to believe  that the  police and
law-enforcing agencies will succeed in deterring delinquency and crime,
not to mention  completely eliminating them at the root,  even if there
were enough police officers to keep an eye on every recalcitrant child.
Besides,  this would not be the right  way to remedy the situation. The
remedy lies in removing the cause, not in merely treating the symptoms.
It will not suffice to tell the juvenile delinquent that crime does not
pay,  and that  he  will  eventually  land  in jail.  Nor  will  he  be
particularly  impressed if  he  is admonished  that law-breaking  is an
offense  against society. It is  necessary to engrave  upon the child's
mind the  idea that  any wrongdoing is  an offense  against the  Divine
authority  and order.         Children have  to be  trained  from their
earliest youth  to be constantly aware  of "the Eye that  seeth and the
Ear that heareth." We cannot leave  it to the law-enforcing agencies to
be the  keepers of the ethics  and morals of our  young generation. The
boy or  girl who  has embarked upon  a course  of truancy  will not  be
intimidated  by the policeman, teacher or parent, whom he or she thinks
is fair game to "outsmart." Furthermore,  the crux of the problem  lies
in the success or failure  of bringing up the children to  an awareness
of a Supreme  Authority, Who is not  only to be feared  but also loved.
Under the  existing conditions in  this country, a daily  prayer in the
public  schools  is for  a  vast  number of  boys  and  girls the  only
opportunity of cultivating such an awareness.     On the other hand, as
I   have  emphasized  on  more  than  one  occasion,  only  a  strictly
non-denominational prayer, and  no other should be  introduced into the
public schools. Any denominational prayer or  religious exercise in the
public schools must be resolutely opposed on various grounds, including
also the  fact that  these would create  divisiveness and  ill-feeling.
Moreover, the essential  objective is a religious expression that would
cultivate reverence and love for G-d, and this can best be accomplished
by prayer, while Bible reading is not so important in this instance.