Two Charedim and the Wave of the Future

There are two people who comment frequently on this blog who are my most frequent critics. They both seem to have as a primary goal to discredit everything I say. One goes by the name JImmy and the other goes by the name of Chareidi. Both have raised the ire of many readers here. Many commenters have asked me why I tolerate them, especially Jimmy. To put it the way J did in a recent comment thread:

Harry, why don't you ban JImmy? He adds nothing to the discussions, and I have never seen him make a constructive point. If he wants to spell out a 'true' charedi perspective, I really don't understand why he can't do it respectfully.

The answer to this question requires more than a simple response. It requires some analysis of the JImmys and the Chareidis and why I believe they do what they do.

To answer why I believe that Jimmy can’t respond respectfully, it’s because he doesn't respect modern Orthodoxy at all. He totally rejects it. He believes that he is in effect a ‘stand in’ for his ‘Daas Torah’. He also believes what his 'Daas Torah' has told him - that all blogs are Assur. His purpose here is therefore twofold: 1) To ridicule and bash anyone who considers himself modern Orthodox in any way shape or form. 2) To try and close down my blog. It doesn't matter what anyone says in support of Modern Orthodoxy. Nor does it matter that there is value in much of what is written by either me or many of the thoughtful commenters. To him it's all hogwash... because his 'Daas Torah' told him so.

To that end, he will ridicule any subject I write about because I represent that Hashkafa. Even if he agrees with most of it, he will find something to bash.

His ‘Daas Torah’ has also told him that blogs are the worst form of Rechiluls and Lashon Hara - and in some cases a danger to the soul. That’s why they forbid reading them. Why does he participate then? He thinks that someone has to. So B'Makom She'Ein Ish... Where there is no one who will stand up to the task - he will ‘sacrifice’ himself L'Shem Shamayim and take up the battle to close down my blog. He sees himself as 'Daas Torah’s' presence here - battling evil.

Why don't I ban him? Because he basically follows the rules here. But more importantly I want people to realize exactly what we are dealing with in much of the Charedi world. This is how many of them think – or are indoctrinated to think. Not all - but many. The only difference between him and others like him is that he has no inhibitions about saying exactly what is on his mind - and we get to see what people like him really think.

By contrast Chareidi is a more rational, thought out personality and does not buy into JImmy's hardline Hashkafa as much. But he still does not hesitate to bash me at every opportunity - albeit more often with rational arguments. That's because he thinks I have some kind of anti Charedi Agenda and because he seems to get some sort of perverse pleasure in 'showing me up'… and in the process showing flaws in modern Orthodoxy’s Hashkafos.

Why don’t I ban him? Because he too basically follows the rules here. And more importantly he too is a voice from the Charedi world – the more moderate one. It is just as important for people to know that this kind of Charedi exists as it is to know that the other kind exists.

Chareidi's Hashkafos represent the wave of the future. Just as I think the left wing of Modern Orthodoxy will not survive over time as an independent Orthodox entity, neither do I think the right wing of Charedism will survive as an independent entity. Both are too extreme.

As I’ve said many times, moderate Charedim will ultimately combine with right wing modern Orthodox in cultural ways with little difference in lifestyles. In fact they already are, as Rabbi Berel Wein has pointed out. They often live in the same neighborhoods, send their kids to the same type of schools, participate in higher education for purposes of Parnasa, Daven in the same Shuls and are Koveiah Itim – establish regular times for learning Torah. Sometimes with each other. They will even having a similar look (e.g many right wing modern Orthodox Jews wear black hats - at least on Shabbos).

That is why I am so disappointed in Chareidi. He could be a positive and forceful advocate of his kind of Charedism. In fact I really think we may have had a meeting of the minds on many if not most issues. And on those where we differ, the discussion could be respectful and educational. But alas, he too has decided that my purpose here is to bash Charedim. So like JImmy - at every opportunity he finds ways to bash me, even when he might otherwise agree with me.

It's too bad. I don't really expect to convince the JImmys of the world to be more tolerant. But I do think I have a chance with the Chareidis of the world... just not this one.

Lubavitch – A View from the Inside

Yesterday I was verbally attacked by a Lubavitcher because of criticisms I have written about them. His harangue included some very nasty things - calling me terrible names and saying things about me at the top of his lungs which are simply not true. For example one of those things is that I am a Lubavitch hater and am obsessed with bashing Lubavitch. And that most of my posts are about only 2 subjects one of which is Lubavitch.

That is of course the furthest thing from the truth. If I hated Lubavitch I wouldn’t Daven there every single day. The truth is that I rarely write about them. I do so only as an event demands. Of the 885 posts I’ve written since I began this blog, perhaps a dozen or so have been about Lubavitch. But even if you double that number, it is less than 3 percent of my posts. That’s hardly an obsession.

My goal with Lubavitch is not to hurt them. It is to try and get them to correct a path they have taken since their Rebbe’s death. I have written recently on why I think this problem exists and why it is unique to Lubavitch. This is a problem that can – in theory - be easily repaired.

I would not have written a post on Lubavitch today had I not been verbally - so viciously attacked. But because of this Lubavitch has been uppermost in my mind. By coincidence I was forwarded an e-mail last week about about a Baal Teshuva - a former Lubavitcher. Taken from his website, it is a fascinating report about what he experienced from the inside. Because of those experiences he has since left Lubavitch for mainstream Judaism. He felt compelled however to tell the Torah world what he saw… what he lived through.

Here is just one small excerpt:

Chabad is alone in their beliefs regarding:

- A Second Coming (they won't call it a Second Coming because they admit there is no such thing as a Second Coming in Judaism; they have come up with some fascinating ways to explain why it isn't a Second Coming even though they believe the Messiah already came and will come again to complete the redemption.)
- The actual leader of the entire Jewish people (the "Moshe of the Generation") is a deceased person (i.e. the Rebbe).
- One MUST nullify oneself to and obey a specific deceased rebbe (i.e. the Rebbe) in order to fully connect to G-d and receive all the spiritual and material blessings.
- If the Rebbe said it, it is not just a valid opinion. It is always the Absolute Truth.
- The Rebbe was the Essence and Being of G-d placed in a body when he was alive. And he still is according to those who believe he never died.
- The Rebbe is everywhere. He is watching each one of us no matter where we are. Therefore, we can turn to him wherever, whenever and ask him to help us in any situation.

It is one thing when I write about some of these things as an outsider. But it is an entirely different matter when the same things I have generally been saying is reported by an insider who experienced it first hand.

I would personally like to thank the Lubavitcher who harangued me last night. I have no ill will towards him and certainly not towards Lubavitch. I realize he thinks he was simply defending Lubavitch. I am Mochel him. Had he not harangued me though, I would not have thought to bring this essay to the attention of my readers. My mind was on other important matters. I’m glad he turned my attention back to this issue, though. It is important to know what is going on from a former insider’s perspective.

The Way We Were

Hirhurim has a post today that is near and dear to my heart. Professor Yitzchok Levine writes about his experience at last week’s Torah Umesorah convention. The speaker was HaRav Avrohom Chaim Levin, Rosh HaYeshiva of Telshe, Chicago. He spoke about my Alma Mater, Yeshivath Beth Yehudah in Detroit.

First a word about Rabbi Levin. He is a member of the Agudah Moetzes. And he is one of the worthiest members on it. He is obviously Charedi and there are differences between us on certain issues. But the respect that I have for him has no adequate words of description. He is a Gibor – a great person of tremendous Torah knowledge. He is also a man of great courage and strength. An Ish Torah and an Ish Emes. Truth and wisdom emanate from his being. He is unafraid to speak his mind or protest what others saying if he disagrees even if it goes against the current wave of Charedism. He proves that Charedi Judaism is not monolithic.

Just to cite one example, a couple of years ago at an earlier Torah Umesorah convention, Rav Aharon Feldman the Rosh HaYeshiva of Ner Israel remarked that America would never be able to produce the kind of Gedolim Israel does - because those of potential must waste their time on secular studies in high school instead of focusing full time in Torah as they do in Israel.

Rabbi Levin stood up and said, No! Not true! He pointed out that his yeshiva mandates secular studies in high school. And his graduates over the last 50 years do not take a back seat to anyone in Torah learning or Yiras Shamyim – fear of Heaven.

Aside from that he is a Mentch. When Telshe Chicago first opened its doors on a shoestring budget almost 50 years ago, their students were sent to private homes for their Shabbos meals. My parents hosted some of those young men over a period of several years. Rav Levin never forgot that. When my father died over thirty years after that, Rav Levin came to my house to be Menachem Avel me even though I had absolutely no real contact with him or his Yeshiva since the late sixties. He talked about the Hakaras HaTov – the gratitude he had to my father to that day! He is a role model for Charedi Gadlus. For any Gadlus!

Rav Levin demonstrates this once again with his remarks at the Torah Umesorah. Here are some excerpts from Dr. Levine’s guest post on Hirhurim:

"During his address (Rav Levin’s) mentioned that Forty years ago there were 8 boys in the eighth grade in Yeshiva Beth Yehuda in Detroit." Of these eight, he pointed out that five were not from Shomer Shabbos homes. He then went on to say, that all of these five boys eventually became outstanding Torah personalities.There is no question that Torah Umesorah played a key role in the development of Yiddishkeit in Detroit, and Rav Levin had pointed to just one aspect of this...

Beth Yehudah was built almost entirely by talmidim of Reb Shraga Feivel or those who had come under his sway. Nowhere was his inspiration more intensely felt than in the sense of mission his followers brought to Detroit...Click here to read more
After Rav Levin had made his remarks about the 5 boys from non-religious homes who had become exceptional Torah personalities, I (Dr. Levine) turned to the person sitting next to me and said, "You realize, I am sure, that today these 5 boys could not get into most of the yeshivas in Brooklyn."

Yeshivath Beth Yehudah is my alma mater. I experienced the kindness and dedication of those early pioneers first hand. Anyone who reads my bio at the top of this blog will see how much importance I attach to those early pioneers, two of whom I mention by name. They helped shaped who I am today - and how I raised my children.

But the response of the person Professor Levine made his comments to do not sit well with him. Nor do they with me nor should they with anyone:

He replied, "It was a different tekufah [era] then. We are no longer concerned with parents who send their kids to public school. If someone wants to start a yeshiva for public school kids, then let him. It was a different tekufah."

This is a sad but very sad but telling commentary on what I believe is the typical attitude by far too many people in the Charedi world. The idea he really expressed was: Kiruv?! Tough! Go find someplace else. We’re busy. We can’t pollute our holy environment with mundane matters like that.

There is no question that the era of tolerance and acceptance in a multi faceted environment of Torah is now lost - supplanted by our current era of intolerance and rejection where it is anything but multi faceted.

It is now all about insuring a singular mentality that accepts only one version of Torah Hashkafa, and rejects everything else. It is about not accepting anyone from anywhere but a single slice of Judaism. The ‘Charedi Yeshiva’ has morphed from what was once a ‘shining Yeshiva on a hill’ of the type exemplified by the Beth Yehudah of my era - into an intolerant mass production ‘Torah factory’ whose focus is only on those who fit exactly into a mold – by background, by intelligence, and by Hashkafa. Everyone else can just go fend for themselves.

Socializing between the Sexes

One of the fringe benefits of NCSY is the ability of ‘advisers’ - young people o f marriageable age who are active in their Kiruv work - to meet and socialize. Although this is not the goal of NCSY it is a very positive attribute of this organization.

This fact recently got me to thinking about the increasing numbers of young people who are having a difficult time getting married. I know far too many wonderful young people who are struggling in the Shidach scene.

I’m not suggesting that they all join NCSY and that this would solve their problems. But I am suggesting that the trend away from causal meetings between the sexes ought to be reconsidered. Even in the Charedi world.

It used to be the norm when I was dating back in the late sixties to meet a Frum member of the opposite sex casually, strike up a conversation, and then for a young man to call up a young woman and ask her out. Many of my now very Charedi friends got married this way.

I’m not dismissing the notion of Shadchanim. They are a valuable resource for young people looking to get married. Nor do I think that an introduction by a mutual friend should be overlooked as a resource. In fact, that’s one of the best ways to meet. But in my view, the most natural settings for young men and women to meet are rapidly disappearing. In the Charedi world, this has been the case for a long time. And it seems to be taking hold in at least the right wing modern orthodox world as well - as more and more young people are turning to Shadchanim for dates.

That is really a shame. But unfortunately it is a by-product if the ‘move to the right’. As more and more MO Yeshiva Bachurim don the black hat so too do they don the black hat Hashkafa.

I understand the Charedi opposition to a casual type dating approach. They fear the sex drive will overwhelm people if they familiarize too much with the opposite sex. The goal is to eliminate any and all temptation. To that end they want to completely segregate the sexes. Separate seating at weddings is de-rigueur now at all Charedi weddings - and now even some RWMO weddings.

In increasing numbers the Kallas no longer go to the other side of the Mechitza to sit together with their Chasanim for a “Ketzad Merakdin’ type dance. That used to be the norm at even the most Charedi of non Chasidic weddings. It is now the exception. Mixed events of any kind are now forbidden. In Israel even separate seating concerts are forbidden because some young people of the opposite sex might meet. And there are some who wish to bring that standard here to the United States.

NCSY is looked at by many Charedi leaders as Assur for that reason. The result is that perfectly legitimate avenues for dating are increasingly closing up. And that is just plain wrong. It dries up opportunity and ultimately bestows way too much control to Shadchanim over other people's lives. Shadchanim define the of acceptability their clients - who will and will not make it onto their lists. They can make or break a Shiddach.

This is just one more way that Charedism is taking over. But I submit that we ought not let it. We ought to fight it by encouraging our young marriage age children to join NCSY and other worthy and Frum mixed organizations. And encourage mixed seating at weddings - even for singles. We ought to invite families over for a Shabbos meal where each has children of the opposite sex… giving them an opportunity to interact casually and learn about each other. Starting this out at a young age helps to eliminate the ‘forbidden fruit’ effect.

But there is no better meeting place for young people than at NCSY as advisers. My daughter met her husband at NCSY. He is a pillar of the community here and commands respect from all segments of Orthodoxy.

I know many Frum young couples who met and worked as singles together in NCSY. And to the best of my knowledge they are all still happily married.

Has anything ever happened at an NCSY Kiruv weekend between a boy and a girl that wasn't supposed to? I'm sure it has. But for the vast majority of young people that work there as advisers it hasn't.

The big issue always raised is the following. Our sages tell us Ein Apitropus Le'aroyos - there are no means of guarding against sexual immorality. Essentially this is a warning to stay as far away from temptation as possible. I don’t think anyone would argue that point.

Everyone has a sex drive. And there is a plethora of sexual stimuli in this world. Much of it is universal and will titillate anyone. And I will stipulate that there are abnormal personalities out there that will be aroused by just about any item in existence. In psychology, that's called a fetish.

But they are a very small percentage of the populations. Our sages did not legislate for them. When they speak of Aryaos they speak about normal people, not abnormal people. There is something called societal norms. The Levush understood that principle very well. He said that one may recite SheHaSimcha B'Mono – that the Simcha is in God’s realm - at the bentching of a wedding feast where men and women sit together.

Even though it was not permitted in the past, that’s because it was not the societal norm then for men and women to be involved in any way together in public. Women generally stayed home. Sitting together at a wedding would have been very unusual and probably very titillating.

But by the time the Levush came along that was no longer the case. Men and women were already interacting all the time. It was no longer unusual to see a woman in public. It was therefore well within the parameters of the norm to be seated together at a wedding. Hence such a seating arrangement can indeed be considered to be in God’s realm Sitting at a table with your spouse and other couples - where women are dressed in the typical Tznius fashion of Orthodox women - will no more be a source of titillation than box of cereal.

And this logic translates this to NCSY advisers. Most non Charedi religious young people are quite used to being around the opposite sex. This doesn’t mean that they can’t get into trouble. Anyone can - even Roshei yeshiva. That has happened.

But it does mean that that they can control their urges. They are in an environment where young people get together in a chaperoned atmosphere of Kiruv - and are old enough to get married. They can control themselves. Just as they can when alone together on a Shadchan arranged Shidach date.

Defending the Rubashkins

There are some people who feel the need to defend the indefensible. They seem to feel that if a religious Jew has been accused of various crimes, that they must be defended and given the benefit of the doubt even if they are found guilty as charged. This is especially true when those accused are ‘close to home’.

The issue at hand here is justifying the mistreatment of workers at Agriprocessors – taking advantage of their status as illegal aliens because they are not Jews.

There have been many who have tried to defend Agriprocessors for this reason, but no one has been more aggressive in their defense than the members of the same club: Lubavitch. The owners - you see - are Lubavitchers.

This has been a real education for me. For quite some time now, I have been saying that one of the primary tools Lubavitch uses in their Kiruv efforts is the principle of ‘the ends justifying the means’. I have shown examples of this attitude in the past. They will mislead people about their actual beliefs if it serves a Kiruv purpose. But in recent days one Lubavitcher has outdone himself. The manner in which he justifies Agriprocessors crossed the line from defending a ‘club member’ to causing broad Chilul HaShem.

One might argue that this one individual does not represent the whole. I agree. But I keep encountering anecdotes that show the same pattern of behavior. He has done what other Lubavitchers have done time and again in defending the indefensible. This time it is because the accusations involve a Lubavitcher. They call it Chilul Lubavitch. And they will use any means necessary to defend bad behavior – twisting and distorting even Torah law just to make Lubavitch look right and everyone else look wrong.

His defense of the mistreatment of their non Jewish workers by the Rubashkins (who own Agriprocessors) consisted of the idea that non Jews are lesser human beings – and can be exploited - treated less fairly than Jews in similar circumstances. And he cited many examples of where Halacha demonstrates that this is the case

In doing so he painted an extremely negative picture about what we Jews 'really believe'. He flatly states that the Rubashkins are not guilty of any Halacha violations since they are entitled by Halacha do almost anything they wished to non Jews, as long as they don't get caught. All the things they have been accused of are perfectly permissible, Halachicly. US law is meaningless in deciding how we should act. Only Halacha dictates what is required of us, not US law. That makes what the Rubashkins did - OK. This is his version of Judasim.

I wouldn’t bring up his distorted views it were simply a debate between us – two people arguing privately in an e-mail. But I happen to know that this is a very articulate fellow who shared his views with a great many people. Including non Orthodox Jews who repeat what they heard from this ‘knowledgeable bearded Jew’ to their friends - Jew and non Jew alike. Who knows how many people have been infected by his rhetoric. It could easily be in the thousands. I must therefore make a public protest.

One could easily conclude from his rhetoric that the infamous anti-Semitic book ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ is right! …that we do have a conspiracy to subjugate ‘the Goyim’ as our slaves and rule the world! He even mentions that blood libels. Our claim that blood is forbidden to consume is only partially true. Blood that gets mixed into a batch of kosher food is rendered inconsequential and permitted if in small enough quantities. Who said Jews don’t use blood to bake Matzah?!

At the very least expressing this attitude qualifies for the Ramban's Naval B'Reshus HaTorah - an individual who does disgusting things that are not expressly forbidden in the Torah. But is forbidden. We are commanded: Kedoshim Tihiyu - You should be holy.

Instead of speaking about how every human being is created in the image of God and to be treated with equal justice, he speaks of non Jews as lesser human beings unworthy of violating Shabbos in order to save their lives.

I have mentioned this in the past. The Yerushalmi in Bava Metzia records the story of Shimon Ben Shetach who was struggling to make a living. He was upset that his Talmidim used the letter of the law to try and keep the valuable ‘find’ of a non Jew that would have greatly benefited their Rebbe -and not return it to its rightful owner. Shimon Ben Shetach made them return it immediately. "Do you think I am a barbarian' he asked? He was more interested in hearing ‘blessed is the God of the Jews’, than making a living!

But not to this fellow. He would have said, why bother?! Let it go to Shimon Ben Shetach. He deserves it more than they do and will put it to better use.

Refusing to grant the same degree of justice to non Jews as to Jews violates the precept of Kavod Habrios, the dignity of man - and human rights!

Chazal say it was Moshe Rabbenu who taught us how one should act toward non Jews. When he ran away from Egypt he came upon a well where he saw an injustice being done between gentiles. A group of shepherds tried to drive away Yisro's daughters so they could water their flock first.

Moshe Rabbenu could have easily taken the easy way out, and not gotten involved. After all - getting involved in the disputes of others is how he got into trouble in the first place. But he chose to act so that justice could be restored. Our sages tell us that this incident teaches that when ever it is in our power we must act to pursue justice, whether it be for Jew or a non Jew. This emulates the ways of God. Mistreating non Jewish workers does not.

Since he is a Lubavitcher - his zeal in defending Agriprocessors can be understood. But his arguments are such a Chilul HaShem - it boggles the mind how an intelligent God fearing Jew can be so foolish and so wrong about the behavior the Torah expects of us.

Charedi Power

I don’t know who Asher Moaz is. I have no idea whether he is religious or secular. Based on an article he wrote in Ha’aretz published a couple of weeks ago, my sense is that he is a religious but non Charedi Jew. But one thing seems certain. He is the creation of Charedism in Israel. He is a product of the ever increasing power that Charedim have achieved and are wielding at their every opportunity.

Mr. Maoz has made it painfully clear what has happened. He expresses what must have been a growing sense of frustration and anger that finally came to a boil - and boiled over when the precipitating event that caused the current conversion crisis in Israel occurred: The invalidation of a 15 year old conversion of a woman by the rabbinic court. It reverted her status to non Jew and thereby declared her children to be non Jews as well.

I am not here to talk about that case. One can debate the merits. Nor am I even going to talk about the continuing outrage about not accepting any of Rabbi Druckman’s converts since 1999.

The issue here is the heavy handed way that Charedi leadership has treated all non Charedim. The minute they get the power, they use it to their own ends. They seem to have chosen as their goal to change the state from a secular one to – not just a religious one tolerant of all Hashkafos – but into a State of Charedism. No tolerance for any other views.

This is certainly evident in the way they handled Rabbi Druckman’s even legitimate and sincere converts. It is also obvious from the type of bans they have issued and Tznius rules they implemented in their own communities. Communities like Bnei Brak and the Geula section of Jerusalem. It is only a matter of time before they mandate these conditions for everyone in the state. Is there any question that they will pass legislation like this, given the chance?

The heavy handed approach is their modus operandi. Whenever they have the opportunity they act – and act forcefully. Consider all the protests, boycotts, and bans. The bigger their numbers become the greater chance that protests will turn into legislation.

Will any of this really happen? I don’t know, I can’t predict the future. But if one believes their rhetoric it seems inevitable. And so too will there be an increase of the hatred of them - by not only secular Jews but even non Charedi religious Jews as well. That is all reflected in Mr. Moaz’s article.

As this phenomenon progresses - it will surely lead to an even deeper divide than we have now. The hatred by secular Jews and even religious non Charedim will deepen. Ultimately the chasm will be too wide to bridge.

How sad it is that there cannot be a different and more tolerant approach to secular and non Charedi religious Jews. There is no need for all this hatred. All that is needed is a sense of tolerance. Charedim need not flex ther muscles at every opportunity. They should be more sensitive to other Hashkafos and appreciate what other members of Klal Yisroel do for them. Non religious as well as non Charedi religious. Fighting in the army is no small sacrifice.

One might argue that the reverse is also true. The secular and especially the non Charedi religious Jew should appreciate what the Charedim do for them as well.

This is true. Religious Jews know the value of learning Torah and certainly appreciate that… doing so themselves, albeit not to the same extent as Charedim. And secular Jews must know that without religious observance, Judaism means nothing. They owe a debt of gratitude to the Charedi and the rest of religious world for maintaining the true Jewish character of the state. In fact very few secular Jews are actually anti-religious. Most of them are selectively observant themselves. I don’t think that most Charedim in Israel realize that. If they do, they have not given any indication of caring.

The onus is on Charedi leaders. They are the ones forcing their ways on the secular and non Charedi religious public.

Instead of using the vinegar approach to human relations with their brothers and sisters they ought to try using the honey approach. Secular Jews - and certainly non Charedi religious Jews - don’t inherently hate Charedim. But I think that misconception probably fuels the hatred that Charedim feel they are only returning in kind. It feeds on itself and results in what Mr. Moaz writes about.

It’s all about not imposing your views on others. It’s about respecting individuals as decent human beings. We are all brothers – not the enemy. It is about tolerating religious Hashkafos other then their own - and understanding that non religious people are not inherently evil. They just don’t want religion shoved down their collective throats.

I know it’s just wishful thinking to hope for a change of attitude and approach. But there are Charedi voices that feel the same way I do. The question is whether anyone there is listening to them. Or are they too spitting in the wind?

Raising the Bar on Conversions

Converting to Judaism is not a trivial matter. It is a very serious one that should not be treated lightly. And it has been in the past - by a lot of well meaning rabbis who took questionable shortcuts when converting certain people. The results in some of those cases may very well have had tragic consequences. People who thought they converted and had in some cases been leading observant lives must now reconvert and – in the case of a female convert - all of her children must now convert too. If one of them married a Kohen they must divorce. No matter how loving the family relationship is.

But it doesn’t matter. If the conversion was somehow invalid, that is the result.

As most people know by now the mass influx of immigrants from Russia to Israel has resulted in thousands of people who intermarried and now live in Israel as Jews. That was a matter of great concern in Israel because the numbers of these people and their children was so high that it would actually threaten the Jewish character of the State at some not too distant point in the future. The vast majority, though living as Jews culturally, are not observant - nor do they want to be. So conversions according to Halacha would be extremely difficult if not impossible. The government of Israel turned to the rabbinic courts to see if there was anyway these people could be converted without too many impediments.

That resulted in the creation of special conversion authority to expedite conversions using any leniencies possible. And that resulted in a near cathartic rejection of this court by rabbinic leaders who considered such conversion a complete sham.

Meanwhile back in United States many conversions were starting to be questioned by the Israeli rabbinic courts as well. This is due to the fact that unregulated indenedant rabbinic courts presided over many questionable conversions over the years - where ‘converts’ were not observant and supposedly never intended to be.

After an initial clash between Israeli courts and the American rabbinate via the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) - a compromise was reached that would assure that all future conversations would be legitimate. That is a good thing. To continue questionable conversions would have put the entire Jewish people in danger. Continuing along this path could mean that in a few generations it will be almost impossible to know who is really a Jew and who isn’t. I only wish the story could have ended there.

But it doesn’t. An organization called the Eternal Jewish Family (EJF) was created. And that’s when everything seemed to go south. I am not prepared to condemn the entire enterprise yet. But with each passing day I am beginning to question it more and more.

Based on recent events I have to question some of the things being done. One of the more nefarious things happened at a convention where Rabbi Norman Eisenstein - supposedly in the name of Rav Elyashiv - said that anyone who believes in an ancient universe (older than 5768 years) is disqualified from being a Dayan, a judge in a conversion court. That would disqualify some of the biggest names in the Torah world. Names honored by virtually all Charedim. Were Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan alive today, he would be disqualified.

But it isn’t just EJF. It is their spiritual kin too …as in the recent outrageous Psak by Israeli Dayanim invalidating masses of conversions which were done by a Dati Leumi (Israeli - modern Orthodox) Rav. Even those who were sincere, promised to be observant, and kept their promise. That Psak was widely condemned by rabbinic leaders like Rav Aharon Lichtenstein. And it was strongly condemned by the RCA. And it that decision was was over-turned by the Israeli chief rabbinic court judge, Rabbi Shlomo Amar. But that didn’t stop Rabbi Eisenstein and EJF from publicly supporting the Psak even after it was over-turned.

Here is how Hirhurim’s Rabbi Student put it:

Let me point out that EJF has publicly supported the ruling (link). No surprise, since EJF is run by one of the leading antagonists of R. Natan Slifkin (not the antagonist recently arrested but a different one). My impression is that the organization simply rejects Jews who don't follow their "Da'as Torah".

The most recent event reported in the media – if true - is quite shocking. It should put to bed any doubt about whether there is a war against modern Orthodoxy by certain Rabbanim in the Charedi world. Rabbi Leib Tropper, founder and head of EJF nullified one of his own conversions. The reason? According the article:

Tropper did not revoke Sarah’s conversion because she bowed down to idols, accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, or identified with the atheist philosophies of Christopher Hitchens. She didn’t renounce any universally accepted tenet of Judaism. Sarah’s conversion was ruled invalid because she did what many Modern Orthodox women do every day: get dressed and go out of the house. Sarah’s conversion was reversed because Tropper heard that she had worn pants, and occasionally—only when shopping outside the Jewish neighborhood—she had left her hair uncovered.

So there you have it. If this story is true, a convert was stripped of her Judaism even though she was observant of Shabbos, Kashrus, and Taharas HaMishpacha. And so too were her post conversion children stripped of their Judasim.

That is how her husband reported it. According to one of the authors who contacted me - attempts to reach Rabbi Tropper for comment were unsuccessful. He apparently refuses to deny or confirm any part of the report. And as if that weren’t enough there is another horror story about EJF and Rabbi Tropper reported there as well. Read it and weep!

I hope this story isn’t true. I hope that if a conversion was revoked that it was for some more serious violation which is missing from the story. Or that this report is some sort of hoax perpetrated by people out to ‘get’ EJF. But I fear it is true. A fear based on EJF’s attitude and behavior till now. Where will all this end?

Who’s Really Calling the Shots?

I have called this man a hero. And with good reason. Rabbi Yakov Horowitz is unafraid. He is an ‘insider’ at Agudah, whose views on many of the issues discussed on this blog are very similar to my own. He is a man who by the power of pen and personality has tried mightily to change hearts and minds in the Torah world. And I believe that he is succeeding to the extent that he can. There is still a lot of work to be done on all fronts. But he is not alone.

Writers like Jonathan Rosenblum are right up there with him – working from the inside trying to change things. I am also aware of others who do so so quietly and do not want their names to be made public because that will reduce their effectiveness. There are even members of the Moetzes that want to see change.

Change is slow and there is a lot of resistance by certain elements in the world Agudah. And by Agudah, I don’t just mean card carrying members. I mean those who buy into the philosophy of Agudah on a wide variety of issues. Those who are in the forefront of resisting change are very zealous to protect and project their agenda as the exclusive one. The fallout of all this is grist for the Emes Ve-Emunah mill. And whenever I write about these issues, I get my share of comments from their sympathizers. That’s fine. I encourage debate on all issues.

What is not fine however is what happened to Rabbi Horowitz last week. I didn’t see the original article at Yeshiva World News, but I did see some of the comments that were allowed to pass. To YWN’s credit they deleted the offensive comments and then the entire post. But if one wants to see the kind of venom that’s out there Serandez via Wolfish Musings has some of the most egregious attacks against a prominent Charedi Rav and hero I’ve ever seen. I’ve had a few people who have used such rhetoric on me. But very few - and that’s one of the reasons all comments are now moderated.

One must remember, that Rabbi Horowitz is not a left wing modern Orthodox rabbi. He is not even a right wing modern Orthodox rabbi. He is a Kapoteh wearing bearded Charedi Rav, a Menahel of a Charedi Yeshiva Ketana in Monsey and the founder and head of ‘Project Yes’ which is part of Agudah’s attempt to combat the ‘kids at risk’ phenomenon. He is also a sought after scholar in residence at right wing institutions - as he was here a short while ago at the Chicago Community Kollel (Lakewood).

But because he speaks out on issues that do not fit in with the agenda of those Charedi Kannoim who are also part of the world of Agudah, they have vilified him.

Here are just two example of what that element thinks about him. A vebatim quote:

…the guy is a “VELTS” MALSHIN!

A Velt’s Malshin is basically a world class violator of Lashon Hara. Another poster virtually called him a heretic:

He kiseder writes total kefira. Period.

These are the people that Agudah leadership are afraid of. They will stop at nothing to assure that their Charedi world view is the only acceptable Charedi world view. And if that means destroying the reputation of one of their own because he doesn’t agree with their agenda, so be it.

I have been told that many Gedoim don’t speak out on certain issues because they fear these people. Who can blame them? But as I have said in the past, this is what leadership is all about. There is no point to catering to these people. These are not the Charedim of the future. There is no need to cater to them. Nothing is gained - and much is lost.

Not that one should discard their Hashkafos. Just those people who push that agenda in the vicious ways evidenced by the above comments. Those who have the unmitigated gall – the Chutzpah - to say the kinds of things said about Rabbi Horowitz ought to be purged, not catered to. There is no purpose to letting them say these kinds of things. Or allowing the kinds of things done by those who were responsible for a phony ban on all concerts!

How can they allow one of their finest to be personally attacked like this? Why do they not speak out against these people in a unified voice? Why do they place any value on them?

If a man like Rabbi Horowitz cannot be stood up for by rabbinic leaders, what good is that leadership? It isn’t enough that YWN removed a post when they saw what kind of comments were being posted. These people will not be discouraged. The very next opportunity they will do the same thing.

They must be publicly purged and put in their place – which is outside the pale of Torah Judiasm where extremist Kannoim like this belong. It must be made clear that this kind of rhetoric will not be tolerated and those who use it will be rejected in a very public way. I mean - who really has control here? The Kannoim? Or the Moetzes?

The First ‘Jewish’ President

Words uttered at the moment of the establishment of the state of Israel:

"For two thousand years we have waited for our deliverance. Now that it is here it is so great and wonderful that it surpasses human words."

Was it Rav Kook who utter these words? No. It was former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. That’s right. This is what she said. How do I know? It is part of the text of a speech given in the Kenesset yesterday by President George W. Bush.

No, I’m not saying in any way that President Bush is to Jews what President Clinton is (or was) to blacks. Until the recent flap over comments made by the former President while campaigning for his wife, that was how he was thought of. The Black community saw his empathy for them as essentially the same as if he were black himslef. He truly felt their pain. Or so they thought.

While the same cannot be said of President Bush about his being the first ‘Jewish’ President - with his remarks in the Kenesset yesterday he comes about as close to that as anyone. (Although the eulogy from President Clinton for Itzhak Rabin comes close.)

It is more important, however, to see how each political candidate perceived and reacted to President Bush’s speech yesterday. It would not be a bad way to decide who to vote for in the next election if your main concern is Klal Yisroel.

As I have said in the past there are very important issues aside form Israel that impact on our own lives everyday in a more immediate way. Like the horrible state of the economy. This cannot be denied. And it should influence our vote. But I have yet to see any candidate address this issue with a plan that would solve that problem. Just a lot of platitudes about tax cuts (Republicans) or improving the lives of the middle class (Democrats). Neither party says how they will fix the economy.

But as I have also said, for me this election is about my people. That means Jews here and in Israel. That is the number one issue for me. And the second most important issue for everyone should be about peace and security for the United States. Because without that, our financial condition means nothing.

If one gauges support of Israel by the speech given yesterday there has been no greater supporter of Israel than the President.

He understands that talking to Iran’s President Ahmadinejad is a bad idea. Yet Barack Obama has said that is one of the first things he’s going to do as President. His reason is that one must talk to your enemy because that is the one you want to make peace with. That’s what Neville Chamberlain thought when he spoke to Hitler prior to world war two. He thought he was achieving ‘peace in our time’ by giving Hitler what he wanted at the time. That has since been correctly labeled ‘appeasement’. We saw the results of that. It was a little thing called the holocaust.

John McCain on the other hand had it exactly right. His reaction was the following:

“It is a serious error on the part of Senator Obama that shows naiveté and inexperience and lack of judgment to say that he wants to sit down across the table from an individual who leads a country who says that Israel is a stinking corpse, that is dedicated to the extinction of Israel. My question is what does he want to talk about?”

In my view the situation in Israel seems almost unsolvable. No policy by either candidate will stop Islamic extremists from trying to achieve their goals of replacing Israel with an Islamic state in all of Palestine. Obama wants more Clintonesque type of diplomacy. It didn’t work when he tried it. It’s not going to work any better now when Hamas and Hezbollah have even more power than they did then. So in my view we need to ‘stay the course’. We need a President who understands the true dynamic of implacable Islamic fundamentalist absolutism at any cost. To that end Senator McCain’s views are far more realistic than Senator Obama’s.

It’s too bad, really. I like Senator Obama. His charisma works on me too. He is young. He is bright. He is honorable. He is a good and decent man that would indeed bring a fresh and needed new perspective to the office of the Presidency. But his would be the wrong perspective for Israel.

As it would for the economy. I have never felt that a socialist type redistribution of the wealth (tax cuts targeted to the middle class) is the way to go. I believe that personal success should not be penalized as that is a disincentive to production of goods and services - which has a negative impact on the consumer, on jobs, and on the GDP. But even if his ideas would work to improve the economy, Israel and the Jewish people come first to me. As does peace and security in the US.

The man I want to see at the top is the man who agrees with President Bush’s speech to the Kenesset, not the one who criticized it. God bless President Bush. This is how he ended his speech:

Over the past six decades, the Jewish people have established a state that would make that humble rabbi proud. You have raised a modern society in the Promised Land, a light unto the nations that preserves the legacy of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And you have built a mighty democracy that will endure forever and can always count on America to stand at its side. May God bless Israel.

Does This Man Hate God?

If you read my bio at the top of this blog you will see that I am an adherent of the Torah U’Mada philosophy. Briefly that places the two disciplines of Torah knowledge and worldly knowledge on independent planes - each its own tower of wisdom and each valuable in its own right.

Dr. Norman Lamm has been one of my biggest influences in choosing this philosophy. Many of his critics have accused him of equating Torah with Mada. I have always countered that he was being misunderstood. He clearly stated that Torah has primacy. But his critics have retorted that at best he may give a slight edge to Torah but overall he considers them equal – two equal towers of knowledge each deserving equal study. This is an accusation often thrown at him to discredit him and his Hashkafa. But of course that isn’t the only thing he’s been accused of. He has been accused of being a Sonei HaShem – a hater of God!

I’m not going to go into the circumstances of that canard. But suffice it to say that Dr. Lamm is a lover of God, not a hater which is evident from an interview in the latest issue of Yeshiva University’s student newspaper The Commentator. Throughout the interview his love of God, love of Torah, and love of knowledge is clear. To call someone a hater of God quoting a comment he made out of context is the height of Sinas Chinam and contributes to the diviseveness between the Charedi and Modern Orthodox worlds.

One thing that this interview shows is that Dr. Lamm’s understanding of Torah U’Mada is that they are not equal in value. He articulated that Torah is the first obligation in his book, and reiterated it here. Nowhere did he say it better or clearer. In speaking about the importance of studying Mada he said:

In all cases, we must accept as a foregone conclusion that while a great deal of what we study in the academic world may be helpful in support of religion, much of it is certainly antagonistic. While it is important for all of us to have a “taste” of those worlds, we must leave deep involvement in such disciplines to those who are ready to devote their time and energy to fully explore them and to remember that their first obligation is to Torah and their ultimate commitment is to the Almighty, and not to submit to the latest fashionable apikorsus.

There is another inersting facet to this interview. He deals with the Rambam’s positive attitude to secular studies and counters those who interpret the Rambam otherwise:

Indeed, an excellent example of this can be found in the Rambam in a famous teshuvah in which he refers to “secular wisdom” as rakkachot ve’tabbachot ve’ofot - a locution denoting servants or helpers, preparing the way for Torah. Opponents of Torah UMadda quite erroneously point to this responsum to argue that the Rambam regretted his high estimation of philosophy and science in the hierarchy of disciplines contained in the Pardes, thus undermining the usual conception of Maimonidean espousal of a positive view towards Torah UMadda, reducing all worldly knowledge to the rank of mere instruments, devoid of any inherent value.

However, I believe this is simply not so. (In my Torah UMadda, chapter 4, I point out that some of the most significant authorities on Rambam, such as the late R. Kapach, have questioned the authenticity of this letter. Moreover, the overwhelming weight of Rambam’s writing solidly supports the autonomous role that chokhmah plays in Maimonidean thought. In all probability, therefore, he is offering a wistful remark as to what gives him personally the most spiritual pleasure - it is Torah, in which he delights -and that is certainly no surprise. I assume that all of us, me included, feel that we derive our greatest intellectual fulfillment and spiritual enjoyment from the study of Torah even though we do not denigrate the independent role of Madda in our lives.) What the Rambam is doing is saying that the “other wisdoms” serve two functions: on one level, they have innate value because they explain the world which the Almighty created, and this contemplation leads us to a genuine religious experience; this is Torah UMadda in its broadest sense. And second, they serve specifically to enhance the study of Torah. This latter function fits nicely into the rubric of academic study as propaedeutic to our Talmud Torah, enriching it - and us. In this sense, of course, academic study of sacred texts can certainly be considered as helpful.

No - I don’t know what ‘propaedeutic’ means but I assume he means that it is a good thing to study Torah in tandem with Mada. In any case this is a fascinating interview with an individual who - though controversial in the Charedi world - has helped shape modern thought in Orthodoxy.

It is all too easy to criticize someone based on rumor and innuendo, or on criticism unrelated to his Hashkafa. Many of his critics criticize and even condemn him without any direct knowledge. They base themselves on the rumors and attitudes absorbed from their Roshei Yeshiva, Mashgichim, or Rebbeim. I recommend reading this article in its totality. It will help to better understand him and get a truer unbiased picture of who he is and what he believes.

One does not have to entirely agree with him. But one cannot in good conscience deny him legitimacy in Orthodoxy. He is sincere, he is pious - a major thinker, and a Talmid Chacham. And deserves to be respected as such.