Q: Should women travel long distances to go shopping in Manhattan in order to save a little bit of money?
A: Now, we have to know that women who go out on the search for the holy grail in Midtown New York – they’re seeking to buy a bargain – many times they are exposing themselves to perils. It’s not so easy for a woman to be waltzing around in New York today. It’s not so simple. If you can avoid it, it pays even to shop locally and lose money.
Now this has been said here again and again. And things have happened unfortunately and people just close their eyes and say, “There was an accident.” I don’t want to quote an example – it happened three years ago. A woman went shopping, a young woman; she was pregnant and she was going downstairs in an elevator in that building. They took her to a wholesale place where she gets special prices and a tragedy happened in the elevator. And she ended up losing her life, unfortunately.
Now, Jews have to beware – Jewish women especially. If you can keep out of Manhattan, do so. Manhattan today is teeming with crooks and with perverts, and they’re experienced in performing crimes. And therefore, stay away from Manhattan if it’s at all possible! If you have to go there to work, it can’t be helped, but try to shop in your neighborhood.
TAPE # 495 (February 1984)
I remember the incident that HaRav Avigdor is talking about, she was a young pregnant Chasidishe woman from a wealthy family, her younger brother was in my class in 10th grade which was the year 1977, it was unthinkable.; HaRav Avigdor is very right ; 2 years ago my wife had gone into Macy’s On 34 St. after a dentist appointment on Central Park South of which she wanted to pay and Noticed her wallet was gone ( pick pocketed from her purse) with $400 in cash and all her credit cards and license, she was devistated.
Groups of woman from Williamsburg love to shop at Sacks Fifth Avenue etc of which they have it shipped here ( to save the 9% NY clothing tax) of which I take the boxes with me to my business in Boro Park of which their husbands come and pick them up. But there’s No Metziah’s in Manhattan, our local clothing stores have beautiful tzniosdika clothing and the are familiar of what may have Shatnez or not, and its much less expensive than Manhattan.
What the Rov Zatz”l said then is 10x truer today.
The cops take a step back. Stores are boarded up.
Most areas are very unsafe.
I wouldn’t advise, anybody to shop in Manhattan for any reason, unless absolutely necessary.
The pritzus back in the 70’s didnt compare to today. Now we have another question to start asking ourselves. What about the pritzus leaking into our very own communities R”L. I am a working guy and not all that yeshivishe. Yet there are so many times i take a walk in our very own community and see frum yidden R”L dressing in ways that are in no way proper for a bas yisroel and are hurting bnei torah spritually. It boggles the mind how a kollel yungerman’s wife isn’t as makpid on tznuis at least at the level of my wife. And no, my wife doesn’t choke herself or wear sleeves down to her fingers. Nor does she wear baggy clothing. She dresses nicely but with tznuis as thew first and foremost priority. Pls do me and all those who care about their yiddishekeit a favor and think abt us next time you go to the store to buy clothing.
A Gut Shabbos!
And what about the Mitzva d’Oraaiso of “v’chei ochicho imoch “???
The din requires us to spend more for a mitzva. So saving money is a lousy excuse to go out of our local communities
Support your brothers
Actually if there is a meaningful difference in price, then you ARE allowed to shop at the non-achicha
Surprising that he would make a christian reference . .
This was said 1984. Hard to compare to today. Regarding the poster about pritzus- R Avigdor Miller wasn’t talking about that. You have just a straw mans argument.