Rabbi Shimshon Sherer and the Moetzes

And I thought I was done with this issue.

Back on January 4th, I wrote an essay criticizing a member of the Charedi rabbinate for disparaging Modern Orthodox rabbis. It had been made known to me that Rabbi Shimshon Sherer had publicly labeled them Misyavim, equating them with the ancient Greeks who tried to convert Jews to their Helenistic ways and false gods.

I have subsequently received some correspondence by one of Rabbi Sherer’s supporters defending his rabbi’s comments and accusing me of taking them out of context. To this I can only say the following: The fact that he said them in a disparaging context is clear even to Rabbi Sherer's defender. The "out of context" he referred to was one in which he was quoting someone else. But that does not make the comments any less damning. He believes what he said about Modern Orthodox rabbis.

I have never met him, but I’m told that Rabbi Sherer is a wonderful and inspiring individual who is normally quite gracious in his relations with leaders of other streams of Orthodoxy. I also understand the passion Rabbi Sherer must have for his view that tampering with Metziztza B’Peh is tantamount to tampering with Bris Mila itself and that bowing to government pressure now, may ultimately be a slippery slope to government interference in Halacha itself. Surely that was his motivation in so strongly condemning Modern Orhtodox rabbis. Perhaps he even sees it as a Shas Shmad and as such we are required hold on to even slightest Mitzvah to the extent of Yehoreg VeAl Ya’avor. He is entitled to be upset and to express his views in the strongest possible terms.

But to call a group of sincere God fearing rabbis Misyavnim, crosses all lines of decency, in my view. And it doesn’t really matter in whose name he heard it said in different contexts. It is reminiscent of the time that R Eliya Svei referred to Dr. Norman Lamm as a Sonei HaShem, an enemy (or hater) of God!

Is this what our rabbinic leadership has been reduced to? And people wonder why I don’t think today’s Gedolim measure up?

In a follow up letter the writer stated his strong disagreement with my view on the current state of Gedolim. He cited the oft quoted Gemarah from Rosh Hashana justifying the view that indeed every generation has its Gedolim: Yiftach B’Doro K’Shmuel B’Doro... that no matter how great the disparity of this generation is compared to a previous one, we still have them and we must listen to them. But where are they? And who says that Agudah can decide who is and who isn’t? When members of the Moetzes Gedolei Torah, like Rav Svei start disparaging others in such a giant fashion, is it any wonder that other Charedi rabbis in that community feel free to cast Modern Orthodox rabbis as Misyavmin?

My Rebbe, Rav Aaron Soloveichik was certainly a Gadol. Even though he was the acknowledged Rebbe of the Yoshev Rosh, he was never invited to join the Moetzes although he probably would have declined in any case. When the Moetzes pulled “My Uncle the Netziv” off the shelves, no one was more upset at them than my Rebbe was. I remember it as if it were today. He basically said that those who banned the book would barely be worthy of being students of that book’s author. He considered it a Chutzpah!

My Rebbe was always a role model for me. There is no reason I should stop now.

Death Wish

Shades of Charles Bronson. This almost sounds like a segment from the movie “Death Wish”.

HaAretz this morning reports that a Ramat Beit Shemesh resident who is a 43 year old Charedi father of five was given a five jail year sentence and a huge fine of NIS 250,000 for: shooting three people with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and inflict permanent disability.

From HaAretz:

British-born Shraga Rosenberg, an ultra-Orthodox dentist and father of five children, was taking a stroll on a Friday night in Ramat Beit Shemesh in April 2005, when he encountered three young French immigrants and a fight between the sides ensued. Rosenberg fired three shots with his licensed CZ pistol, immediately fled the scene and then turned himself into local police on the following Sunday morning.

According to the article this fellow was an exemplary citizen. Delivering food packages to the needy, studying in a neighborhood kollel (yeshiva for older students) and volunteering with the local civil guard. The Charedi community is very upset with the verdict. They see this man as a victim of circumstances and savior of the community even if it was a bit through misguided means.

Ramat Beit Shemesh had its share of problems. As a mostly religious suburban enclave people there just want to live their lives in peace and tranquility in a community free of crime where children can play in the parks during the day and parents can take Friday night walks, without fear of being harrased.

But it was preciesly that tranquility and quiet seclusion that attracted a troubled and criminally inclined element from neighboring communities. It had gotten to a point that everyone was afraid to take a walk in that beautiful park for fear of what they might run into.

According to some residents of Ramat Beit Shemesh, where the incident occurred, Rosenberg was responding to the kind of violence that has become an everyday part of walking through their local parks. The (victims), they say, were known as neighborhood troublemakers, who terrorized anyone taking a Shabbat stroll.


So why did this civily minded individual take a walk in the park on a Friday night, drunk and with a loaded pistol? That question seems unanswered but my suspicion is that he was out to “solve the problem”. For one thing, community efforts to clean up the parks were of no avail. I don’t know if he ever intended anything more than scaring the off troublemakers or whether he actually planned to shoot them. But the bottom line is that he went into the park to take matters into his own hnads. He was going to take care of the problem even if it meant killing someone.

Now it is true that he was harrased first and that in the end it might have been self defense. But he aimed at their upper torso. One fellow took a bullet in the head and lost an eye.

So... in the end I have mixed feelings. On the one hand the parks have been cleaned up. The criminal element has learned to stay away and not mess with those crazy Ramat Beit Shemesh residents.

But... was the cost of cleaning up the mess worth it? Was Dr. Rosenberg a hero or a foolish vigilante that had no right to take the law into his own hands? Did he deserve what he got? Did he deserve much worse? ...Or did he deserve a medal?

I don’t know. But I’m glad for the Ramat Beit Shemesh residents that they have their park back.

The Fernando Phenomenon

There are children’s books in parts of the Chasidic community that use illustrations depicting the Avos as wearing Shtreimlach and Kapotehs. Is this a good idea or not?

The pro view is that since no one really knows what the Avos really wore anyway, why not make them look like the images of the Tzadikim these children are used too seeing? This reinforces the idea of what Tzadikim are supposed to look like which also promotes the idea that ChitZonios MeOreres Es HaPnimios... that appearances highlight the essence of the individual.

Personally I prefer the quote in Avos of: Al Tistakel B'Kankan Elah Ma SheYesh Bo. Clothes do not make the man. They only make the perception of the man. OTOH, as the great Billy Crystal said in his "Fernando" persona: "It is much better to look good than to feel good". This is the pre-occupation of our time in the Charedi world... The "Fernando" phenomenon: Chitzonius.

Chitzonius will only show you want the individual wants you to think about him, not who he actually is. Jack Abramoff made this point quite well when he put on that cheap black hat. He wanted his people to “know” who he was. But was he really who he was saying he was with that black hat? I don't think so.

Rav Avroham Pam was a Gadol. He absolutely refused to wear the "Levush". He did not wear a Kapoteh that most RYs wear today because he did not think it important. He felt it was a form of Yuhara, or showing off your Frumkeit. This is a mark of greatness. Not the Shtreimel. Not the Kapoteh

And the true Gedolei Yisroel of yesteryear recognized that Gadlus does not require... "a look". I don't really like to use Artscroll hagiographies to demonstrate a point, but I remember reading the opening chapters of the Mike Tress book. (Notice that he was called Mike until the end of his life). Reb Shraga Feivel Mendelowitz was giving his weekly Shiur one Tuesday evening and began by retelling a dream he had. Moshiach had come. Kings, Presidents, and Prime Ministers and all the Gedolei HaDor of that time came to greet him. The Moshiach turned to Reb Shraga and asked, “Who is that sitting in the back, not pushing forward – the one without the beard?” Rav Shraga then answered, that’s Mike Tress. He is the one who brought you.

But this dream would not be dreamt by anyone today. No sir. The Yated recently published an article arguing the importance of wearing the black hat. This is what has become important today. Chitzonius. It is so important that it is instilled at the earliest ages through books where the patriarchs are depicted as dressing only in politically correct current clothing styles like Kapotes and Shtreimlach.

What is the outcome of such “Chinuch”? These children will become indoctrinated into believing that only people who look a certain way are Kosher Jews. A clean shaven Jew like Mike Tress will be looked at as either a Goy or a Rasha. The children reading books with such nonsensical pictures are being done a great disservice. These illustrations are perpetuating a lie that can cause great harm to their conceptions of Emes.

It’s time we stopped concentrating on the exterior and focused more on the interior. What difference is it to God if a Jew wears a suit, a Kapoteh, is clean shaven or bearded, wears a black hat or a blue one, a Kipa Seruga or a velvet Yarmulke. It’s much more important to God... Ma SheYesh Bo.

How Chasidus Saved Yiddishkeit

I have my problems with Chasidus. I am not a Chasid, never was, and never will be although I do have Chasidic roots. But the purpose of the following essay is not to bash Chasidus but to praise it. The conditions that led to Chasidus as a movement were such that without Chasidus, Klal Israel would have been severely diminished in numbers. I firmly believe that Chasidus saved Yiddishkeit. Here’s why:

About 200 years ago, societal evolution was such that after the reformation of the Church and subsequent period of enlightenment, Jews were finally allowed to participate in the benefits of society at large which of course included more social and geographical mobility leading to entrance into the world of university education. This freedom allowed great masses of Jewry who up until then were limited to the environs of the ghetto and the dictates of a cloistered and well controlled environment, to now experience freethinking and experiment with there own thoughts. This led to our own version of "enlightenment" in the form of Haskalah. Thanks in part to Moses Mendelsohn, although that was surely not his intent, a very strong pull away from observance amongst many Jews developed. Those who did not have the benefit of the higher Jewish learning of the "Yeshiva” were drawn to the pull of enlightenment that Haskalah represented. In some cases the best and brightest Yeshiva students were attracted to Haskalah.

Had there been the kind of mass Jewish education we have today a lot of this could have been prevented. We may have suffered some losses to Haskalah anyways but the vast majority of Jewry would have remained faithful to the beliefs of their ancestors. But the economics of that time prevented large scale formal Jewish education. There was only enough communal funding available for the most elitist of Yeshivos catering only to the best and brightest of Klal Israel. This left lots of Jews open to the draw of the secular world. Freedom of movement in and out of the Shtetel and allowing entry in to universities and some of the trades enabled many Jews to break the ties that bound them to Torah in the tightly structured communities of the Shtetel.

In short, Jews were beginning to leave Torah Judaism in droves at this historical juncture. The Yeshivos and community Rabbonim were nearly powerless to deal with the attraction of a new enlightened world which enabled many a poverty stricken Jew to leave his environs and go seek his fortune outside of the community both physically and spiritually.

Along came Chasidus. To the great masses of Jews who were unable to attend the Yeshivos and get the type of education that would enable them to withstand the arguments of enlightenment and Haskalah this movement said to them... It's OK, you don't HAVE to be a Talmud Chacham. You can serve G-d by doing good deeds and keeping the commandments as The Rebbes interpret them through the light of the Chasidic philosophy culled from Kabalistic sources. This will assure your place in Olam Haba.

The attraction was immense. People became Chasidim in droves, following a given Rebbe who would constantly encourage and reinforce the Chasid's devotion to HaShem becoming a beloved almost father figure, and the ultimate authority on all subjects. A movement which believes that the proper Kavanos are more important than the deeds themselves is bound to have a tremendous attraction.

An illustration of this is the famous story of the Am HaAretz who did not know how to read any Hebrew but wanted desperately to do Teshuva and Daven on Yom Kippur. He was told by the Bal Shem Tov (founder of Chasidus) to say the Aleph Bais (which this fellow evidently DID know) with as much Kavanah as possible and then told his Chasidim that it would be through the Zchus of this individual that their own prayers would be heard. What an attractive understanding of God's desire!

So, instead of being attracted to Haskalah, many were instead attracted to the simplicity of Avodas HaShem through Chasidus and its strong, charismatic leaders. Without Chasidus, Haskalah would've otherwise taken a very severe toll on Judaism.

Ultimately, Chasidus continued to carry Klal Israel for 200 years... all the way up to the holocaust.

Victory for Hamas, Clarity for the Rest of the World

Clarity.

That is what we have now that we didn't have before. It is now going to be impossible for anyone to blame Israel for not wanting to negotiate with Hamas. Anyone who tries will be laughed off the planet. Those people are Islamists whose stated goal is to wipe Israel off the map. Of course there will always be those spinmeisters that will say we have to talk to them since they were the ones elected. Personally I am of the carpet bombing mentality. They have declared a holy war against the Jews. It is time we let them have it.

For those who are interested, my letter to the editor was published on the Chicago Tribune website.

Hamas

I sent the following letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune. It will be posted on their internet site within the next 24 hours. It was in response to today’s editorial on the Hamas victory at the polls. I’m not sure whether their victory is a good or bad thing. Perhaps it is good in the sense that there is now no doubt about what the official Palestinian position is. It is the Islamist position of the destruction of Israel and creation of an Islamist State to take its place. There can be no more doubt about it. Here now, my comments to the Trib:

The fact that Hamas won such a huge number of votes in the recent Palestinian election says as much about those who voted for them as it does about Hamas itself. Contrary to popular opinion this wasn’t just about rejecting the corruption of the governing Fatah party. Nor was it about the humanitarian infrastructure that Hamas runs in the territories. To be sure that was part of it and perhaps the precipitating factor that made Palestinians vote for Hamas. But it is no secret to any Palestinian that Hamas is responsible for countless murders by suicide bombers.

It is also no secret that there are vast numbers of Palestinians who celebrate every Jewish death at the hands of Hamas. These are same the people who cheered when the World Trade Center came tumbling down! They are all quite aware that Hamas stated goal is the eradication of the Jewish State. It is part of their Islamist theology... right along the same lines as that of Iranian President,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The vast majority of Arab Muslims do not believe that Jews have any right what-so-ever to a state. Even those who will enter into a peace agreement with Israel would do so solely for pragmatic reason and would take Israel back by force if they thought they could. Hamas is merely a military expression of that belief. Moderate Arabs who oppose the violence of Hamas do so only out of pragmatic concerns, not because they believe in Israel’s right to exist. They simply believe that to continue the violence would be counterproductive and has not served them well over the years.

But, Hamas are purists. They don’t care about pragmatics. They are concerned with ideals. To them the ideal is to be pursued at any cost even if it means giving up one’s life as a Shaheed... a suicide bomber.

There is no reason to hope that Hamas will be swayed by pragmatic political considerations. They will not compromise their positions.
This was made clear by one of the candidates interviewed by the media just prior to the election. He made it clear that as long as Israel occupies their land (meaning the entire state of Israel) they will continue their “armed struggle” consisting primarily of suicide bombings.

The only thing that can fight this ideology is an ideology which recognizes those facts and has the military might and the political will to do so. That is why the barrier is so important. It has revented countless suicide bombings. And so has Israeli vigilance in making certain that terrorists don’t have easy access to vulnerable parts of Israel. The measures are harsh and seem unfair to the rest of the world and may exacerbate the tensions between Israelis and Palestinians but Israelis have no choice and the current election results underscore this.

So the Tribune editorial statement about the Hamas victory at the polls, that: “With power comes responsibility. That may lead to profound change in Hamas, and the Middle East, in the coming years.”...is nothing more than wishful thinking.

In fact the first line in that editorial says it all: "Hamas is a radical terrorist organization bent on the destruction of Israel."

Pat Robertson, Fundementalist Jews, and Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

There was an excellent article by Rabbi Hillel Goldberg of the Intermountain Jewish News, that was posted on Cross-Currents. In it, Rabbi Goldberg criticizes the comments made by Mr. Robinson but not for the same reasons that other have. It is not anti-Semitism that motivated comment like this but the same type of religious fundamentalism that motivates our own religious fundamentalists. The problem is not Pat Robinson. He is not going to hurt us. The problem lies within our own ranks. Pat Robertson’s rhetoric is mild compared to the Pulsa Denura people. And it is this type of rhetoric which is often heard from certain Right Wing Religious Zionist rabbis that inspire the Baruch Goldbergs and Yigal Amirs of the world. It is they who have hurt us far more than Pat Rodertson ever could. Rabbi Goldberg then goes on to discuss the kernel of truth in Robertson’s statements that stems from the belief that God runs the world. All true.

I wrote about Evangelicals back in December but I think it is worthwhile taking another look at it in light of Pat Robertson’s comments and Rabbi Goldberg’s commentary on them.

Pat Robertson is pretty slick fellow and one has to be careful around him. He would just as soon "save the Jews” (by converting us to Christianity) as he would eat breakfast. He firmly believes in this and in his version of end-times prophecy. But he realizes that proselytizing activities have brought forth little fruit and he and other Evangelists like him have abandoned that track in favor of just "praying for us”. In the meantime he is one of the most ardent supporters of Israel. His religio-political views on the Jewish State match those of the most strident of Religious Zionist rabbis as is evidenced by his Sharon statements.

He and other Evangelical leaders have helped Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein raise untold millions of dollars from Christians which are then distributed to poor Jews in Israel and the FSU by Rabbi Eckstein’s organization. This is all Christian money never available to us in the past and is given with no strings attached by devout Christians who are motivated primarily by the biblical dicta: Va-Avarcha MeVarech (Those who bless you, I will bless) and V’Nivrechu B'Cha Kol Ha-Amim (God blesses those nations who bless the Jews).

There are soup kitchens in Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, and other places in Istrael... all courtesy Rabbi Eckstein and the Christian Right. Ethiopian Jews have been transferred to Israel all expenses paid. Even non poor Orthodox Jews have been given stipends to make Aliyah. This is what happened a couple of years ago in the Nefesh B'Nefesh program where a large group of Jews made were able to make Aliyah because of the stipends given to them... all Christian money.

So let us not be so quick to heap scorn on the Pat Robertsons of the world. It is all too easy to bash him as a Christian missionary out to “Get us”. His views about the God punishing Ariel Sharon are no worse than many other statements I heard during the Gaza pullout by many in the far right of the Religious Zionist camp. He is certainly no worse than the Pulsa Denura people, and he is a heck of a lot more generous.

Gedolim: Who Are They... and Daas Torah: What Is It?

I believe that this issue is amongst the most important issues facing Torah Jewry today. In fact it goes to the heart of our differences.

Who are our Gedolim? How do we decide? Well, this question has not been asked in a direct way before so I ask it now. As I indicated in my last essay on this subject, my own view is that we are in a certain sense a Dor Yasum. The last great Gedloei Hador were those who preceded WWII or were at least educated pre-WWII and were in a stratosphere all their own. Is there a Chazan Ish today? ...a Chafetz Chaim? ...a R. Moshe? ...a R.Yoshe Ber? The answer clearly is no.

I remember a lecture on the subject about twenty years ago by R. Nosson Scherman. He claimed that there is no such thing as a Dor Yosum because there will always be some who rises to the occasion. To illustrate this point he told the story of how each of three Gedolei HaDor assumed the position of Gadol Hador as one of them passed away. R. Issar Zamen, The CI, and The Brisker Rav... as each one died one of the others took his place as THE Gadol Hador. But when the last of those three, the BR, finally died people said, “Who can possibly take his place?” There was no one left!... in effect claiming to be a Dor Yasum. But then arose R. Aharon Kotler, R. Moshe and others of similar caliber who indeed WERE Gedolei HaDor.

But that is not the case today. I do not see anyone in the mold of RMF who died over 20 years ago. None of the current Moetzes or anyone else even comes close to replacing them and I think they would probably be the first to admit it. But... by default, these people are called “the Gedolim” since Klal Yisroel seeks leadership and Agudah is eager to provide it for them with Gedolim of their choosing.

And the Agudah Moetzes Gedolim are quick to say that their Hashkafos are Daas Torah, Yehareg VeAl Yaavor. It is their view of the world that they disseminate as such to the exclusion of all others. And, in my view, this is a misuse of the very term Daas Torah.

A case in point is their controversial view that a book like “The Mekor Baruch” can’t be translated because in their own view it says some unflattering things about the Netziv. This, despite the fact that it was written and published by a Gadol that was so far ahead of any of them in Gadlus that they couldn’t even stand at his feet. (This was almost a direct quote by R. Aaron Soloveichik at the time, about the banning of the translation of the Mekor Baruch.) Yet, because of their vested stature by Agudah as Gedolim, that view now becomes Daas Torah.

But their Daas Torah is not my Daas Torah. My Daas Torah is not the Agudah Moetzes version. My Daas Torah is based on the views of R. Aaron Soloveichik, who could easily have been a Rebbe of all the Moetzes and WAS in fact the Rebbe of the Novominsker Rebbe, Rabbi Yaakov Perlow who is the Yoshev Rosh of their Nesius.

Please do not misunderstand. I have the greatest respect for Rabbi Perlow who was my 12th grade Rebbe at HTC (his first class ever). But I do not accept that his views and those of his peers on Agudah are the final word on Daas Torah... not for me and not necessarily for anyone else.

One should look to any Gadol with great admiration and respect but not necessarily as the final arbiter of Daas Torah even from those as great as the last generation. One should look to a Gadol as a role model and seek his advice the way one would from any great figure. But it should be treated as good and even sage advice, not necessarily as Daas Torah.

In matters of Hashkafa, I believe it is imperative to use one’s mind and formulate a Hashkafa based on input from all. It is a disservice and intellectually dishonest to say that one simply accepts the Hashkafa of a single individual because of who he is. This is the crux of the argument between those who support R. Nosson Slifkin and those who oppose him.

By way of illustration of that point, when I was in Israel recently, I spoke with the head of a women’s seminary who vehemently opposes RNS based entirely on R. Elyashiv’s Cherem on his books. His attitude was that, if one goes against the Psak of R. Elyashiv, one is putting his Olam HaBah in jeopardy. It is nothing less than Daas Torah and therefore disagreeing with it is tantamount to K’fira! When I asked him about the masses of Ehrliche Torah Jews who believed the kinds of things written in RNS’s books, he simply whisked them away with the statement: It doesn’t matter how many Jews you write off if their beliefs are wrong. Who said so? R. Elyashiv. So one man’s view is now treated as the word of God.

This illustrates a fundamental dichotomy between the two camps which speaks to what extent one is allowed to use one’s own mind in matters of Hashkafa. This is also evidence of an ever divisive force within Torah Judaism. Instead of uniting, we are further dividing, and where it will end no one can know. But it isn’t good.

Is there such a thing as normative Hashkafa? Well, it depends on who you ask. Charedi leadership will say of course there is and it is theirs. It is definitive Daas Torah and no less than the word of God. Any disagreement is Sheker... outside the mainstream and unacceptable.

Should there be normative Hashkafa? Of course there should but it should be broad based and not limited to a singular narrowly defined one. Who should teach it? Parents AND teachers. It should be a collaborative effort and should include a broad base of ideas. It should be inclusive of all Torah Hashkafos and not exclusive to one.

That would then be a legitimate Daas Torah and would incorporate the spirit of Elu VeElu, Divrei Elokim Chaim.

Physical Contact Between the Sexes

It is a slow blog day here at the Maryles “ranch” so I thought I would offer a topic that usually stirs up some interest: The physical interaction between the sexes.

What type of behavior is permissible between the sexes? Can there ever be any touching, and if so, under which circumstances? What does the Shulchan Aruch say? What about Rishonim? And how do we Paskin?

If one observes the behavior in various Orthodox circles one can see the entire spectrum of such interaction from the almost complete ignoring of the Halachos of Nigiya predominant in much of Modern Orthodoxy right up to the complete public separation of the sexes amongst Chasidim where touching a member of the opposite sex is so forbidden that one would sooner touch hot coal than to even be put in a position that might lead to inadvertently touching a member of the opposite sex. Chasidim will recoil from even an innocent handshake. The Yekke (German-Ortho/Jewish) Community holds that any platonic contact between the sexes is permissible as long as there are no sexual undertones (Shelo B’Derech Chiba). This means that even social kissing is quite acceptable in those circles.

So what is the most appropriate behavior? Is it the complete abandon which is typical of MO or is the extremist behavior of Chasidim? Or is it best to do as the Yekkes do?

Well the many people who call themselves MO could be said to be in one of three categories: 1) ignorance of the Halacha, 2) not really caring about the Halacha, or 3) both. Violating Halacha is not an option whether through ignorance or not caring about it.

Does that mean one has to act like the Chasidim do? Is it appropriate to virtually re-coil when a non-Jew or secular Jew extends a hand in a social or business-like manner expecting you to shake their hand? I think the answer is clearly, no. I strongly believe that when encountering such situations, the embarrassment it may cause to another should mitigate a middle ground approach.

I came across an interesting Teshuva (respopnsa) in the Igros Moshe. Some of you may know that there is a Machlokes as to whether touching members of the opposite sex SheLo B’Derech Chiba is permitted. The commentary, Beis Shmuel, in Even HaEzer 20: 1 and 3 states it is Assur... on a D’Oraisa level according to the Rambam, and a D’Rabbanon Level according to the Ramban. However, R Moshe Feinstein Paskins in EH 2: 14 that the above mentioned Issur only applies to one’s wife when she is a Niddah. Other women, OTOH... even married ones... Niddos, or non Jews there is no Issur, as long as there is no Taavah involved. RMF says this is true according to everyone.

There is an interesting anecdote about this issue that took place in Europe and cited by the the Pischei Teshuva (Yoreh Deiah 157:11) in the name of the Chavas Yair. There were 2 women who needed to travel cross boundaries which required passports, which they didn’t own. This would have required a massive tax upon reaching the tax-collector at the borders. So, the 2 women asked two men traveling with them to pretend they were married to them so the tax collectors wouldn’t penalize the women for having no independent passports (...wives didn’t require independent passports). When arriving at the border, the tax collector did not believe their claims of marital status and said they should that they should either kiss or swear that their wives were Nidos The Chavas Yair Paskin’s that they should kiss because there is no Issur except a D’Rabbanan and it was not B’Derech Chiba. To use his Lashon, Ein B’Kach Klum. Lying under oath, OTOH, about the state of Nidah was forbidden as it constituted a Shvuas Sheker (swearing falsely).

It would seem to me the most prudent course of action is to take a middle ground. Since there is a Shittah that holds it is Assur in all circumstances one should be careful to avoid even casual contact. But it is well within permissible limits to avoid embarrassing another and shake their hand when extended socially. This is in fact what Rabbi David Zucker, Rosh Kollel of the Chicago Community Kollel (Lakewood) told his wife to do in one such circumstance. If I recall correctly she was invited to speak in a secular setting and was told that if a secular man extend his had in a congratulatory handshake (or the like), she should not let it hang but shake it. I heartily agree.

But one should never sneer at the custom of the Yekkes who allow all physical contact between the sexes as long as it isn’t B’Derech Chiba.

Spare the Rod?

Two blogs, On the Main Line and DovBear, have recently expressed their disapproval with respect to Agudath Israel’s reservation about proposed NY State legislation that would require parochial schools to report abusive teachers. I can certainly understand their point of view. Who, after all should we protect the abusers or the children?!

Child abuse is an easy issue to get upset about. Corporal punishment has long ago been abandoned by our society as abusive and probably for good reason. There are some teachers who can in a moment of rage severely beat a child putting him at risk of serious injury or even death.

Who wouldn't be in favor of throwing a child abuser into a vat of poisonous snakes? At a minimum we should be supportive of legislation designed to protect innocent children by requiring clergy to report abuse to the authorities. But something has been lost in the rush to protect our children from such abuses. Corporal punishment is quite effective if used properly.

I had one such teacher in elementary school (in the fifties) and he was one of the best teachers I ever had. His name was Shmuel Kaufman, a young man barely in his twenties. He was like a loving father and we all wanted his approval. When we acted up in class he would show his disapproval by calling us up to the front of the class, grabbing our wrists with one hand and smacking the back of our hands with the other. It stung. And it worked. We had tremendous admiration for this Rebbe because we knew he loved us. And we respected his mode of punishment.

And he showed his love by dedicating hours of his time out of the classroom to our welfare. He single-handedly created the Thursday night Mishmor at our day school and fostered an environment of fun and enjoyment that we all looked forward to every week. He picked us all up in his old beater of a car, stuffed about 10 or 12 kids into it and would race it down the street to see how fast he could go before he hit the stop sign. Dangerous? Maybe. No one was ever hurt, though and it is a fond memory that I cherish to this day. After Mishmor, he would take us all bowling.

I credit him with saving countless young Neshamos day after day... year after year. Most of the children from that era were children of recently arrived immigrant holocaust survivors, many of who were severely tested and came out not as committed to Yiddishkeit as they once were. They were very tempted to not only forget their holocaust experiences but to forget their Yiddishkeit as well and just allow their kids to assimilate in to the American public school system. It was tough getting them into a day school. Once there it was a formidable task keeping them there. The draw of the outside world and the parents desire to assimilate their kids was very powerful.

But the Shmuel Kaufmans of the world did not let that happen. He held on to us and in the vast majority of cases those children became Shomrei Torah uMitzvos, many of whom became Bnei Torah and have their own children and grandchildren who are now the very Bnei Torah who populate Yeshivos like Mir, Lakewood, Ner Israel and YU.

I am not advocating a return to corporal punishment. The dangers of abuse outweigh its benefits. But I can’t help thinking that if it were still in use our children would benefit the same way my generation did. In the right hands with proper guidelines it is a very effective tool. I used corporal punishment on my own children and used the exact same technique as Rabbi Kaufman. It worked. It is fast, painful, effective ... and safe... as long as it isn’t done in anger and you hit only the back of the hand.

One might think that Rabbi Kaufman would have been the first person to be fired from his job during the era that corporal punishment was “discovered” to be cruel and unusual punishment for school children (as it definitely turned out to be in some cases). He wasn’t. He stopped using that method of discipline. Not only did his career not end, he still teaches in the same elementary school to this day.

Are There Really Any Gedolim Today?

I find myself once again writing about the issue of Gedolei Yisroel. Last week I asked a question about whether they inspire us. My answer was that in my view, in this generation, they do not. I was a bit surprised that there were few who disagreed with that proposition.

I had an opportunity to read a posting from Rav Aaron Berger that originated on Rabbi Bechhofer’s blog with respect to another issue wherein he has basically assessed the situation exactly as I do. He has some very good insights as to what it is, what it was, and what it should be. The people who are considered Gedolim today are simply not Gedolim. Perhaps, sadly, they are the best we have but they certainly do not measure up to the last generation who truly were Gedolim. To use his example, an act of simple Mentchlichkeit is often recorded as an act of Tzidkis. I beleive that in the main, today’s Gedolim are highly politicized and are primarily the product of organizational selection, at least in America.

In America, Agudah has made themselves the self appointed anointers of who is a Gadol and who is not. It is therefore no longer the case that Gedolim arise due to the consensus of other Gedolei Yisroel who evaluate Gadlus irrespective of ones Hashkafos. Today all that is necessary is to become a member of the Agudah Moetzes. Many Roshei Yeshiva aspire to be on the Moetzes so they will follow that party line in the hopes that they will someday be chosen to sit on the Moetzes. Once there, they have made it. They are now an official Gadol. Others with more Torah knowledge or greater leadership abilities but who may have a different political view such as being Religious Zionist or Centrist are not only not considered Gedolim but are often sneered at.

In Israel the situation seems to be even worse. There, if one dares to disagree with the opinion of a Gadol they can be seriously ostracized. That can ruin a career. So many Roshei Yeshiva and potential candidates for Gadlus will automatically side with the reining Gadol just to make sure they are on the right side of the issue. That Gadlus depends on rubber stamping another Gadol’s view is a really strange way of looking at Gadlus. To me that is Katnus.

So I applaud Rabbi Aaron Berger’s thoughtful post. He truly does see the Emes. The problem is that the vast majority of Charedim don’t. They will probably look at what Aaron says and at best think he is off his rocker. How dare he say this about the Gedolei HaDor. Isn’t he worried about his Olam HaBah?

Personally, I think we need a lot more people like Aaron who understand that indeed the emperor is not wearing any clothes. How long are we going to cater to this mentality of fear? When are we going to wake up and see that this mentality is taking us down the road to disaster? The leadership now in place is teaching its flock to live in caves... to not do anything but learn, learn, learn... to avoid any contact with the outside world. They ignore Mitzvos Bein Adam L’Chavero (at best paying only lip service to it). They harshly criticize all other Hashkafos that are not in lockstep with theirs and if anyone dare criticize theirs, even constructively, they are called enemies of God!

Why do I care what “They” think? Because I believe that Charedim are the real future of Klal Yisroel. It is their students who will faithfully carry on the Mesorah. They are the ones who are in the main teaching our children. It is their version of Judaism that will define our future observance. I shudder to think what this world will be like a hundred years from now if this trend continues.

It is imperative in my view for the HaMon Am to wake up and smell the coffee. It is time to stop being afraid of our own shadows. It is time for every Yeshiva student and Avreich to look objectively at his situation and think through his own future as well as the future if Klal Yisroel. We need some true leadership and we aren’t going to get any if the current trend continues. We have no true Gedolim. We do not have a generation of leaders. We have a generation of followers

It is more than time for Klal Yisroel, particularly the Bnei Torah whose hold the future of Torah Judaism in their hands to start thinking outside the box.

TV or Not TV... That is the Question

On his blog: emet / truth at: http://www.emet.blog-city.com/, Rael Levinsohn has an excellent overview and self examination as to whether broadcast television entertainment is an appropriate medium for observant Jews. I recommend everyone read it. I think it captures the dilemma that many of us have with regard to TV watching.

As a Centrist, I am four square opposed to banning it and my position is similar to my position on the internet. TV, like the internet is a valuable tool but contains many Michsholim. But unlike the internet, broadcast TV does not have either extreme. On the one hand it is somewhat censored and the other hand it doesn’t have anywhere near the value of the internet.

The programming on broadcast television even though subject to censorship has become increasing lax in its standards. It has sunk to a level of immorality I could never have imagined even five years ago. The frequency sexual content of a typical program is very high. In short there isn’t much to watch that is appropriate for a Torah based home.

So why do I support owning one? I support it for the same reasons that I support having the internet in the home. There is some programming that is worthwhile both which is either educational, informational, or both. There is also entertainment programming that allows one the luxury of relaxing while getting some insight into a point of view that sometimes even reflects a Torah position, although most times, it doesn’t. There are other reasons as well such as the educational programming for children on PBS channels or news programming which has advantages over the print media and radios of having visuals that can often say more about what is being reported than the words themselves

Since there are times when one wants to simply crash, there is nothing better than watching TV. But one needs to be careful about one watches. That is the reason VCRs were in vented. This way you can skip any objectionable material such as commercials.
(...and more recently DVD recorders or “Tivo” that completely eliminates it from view)

The bottom line is that it is all about responsible use of the medium. My Rebbe, Rav Aaron Soloveichik owned a TV until the day of his death a few years ago. And he would often reference a program he saw that was relevant to a point he was making. At the same time he condemned the immorality that predominates much of the programming in the same fashion as many other Gedolei HaDor have. The difference is that his solution was not to throw out the medium. His solution was to use it responsibly. And that is my position as well.

The Content of Their Character

I received a correspondence from a member of the Areivim list and it is terribly sad.

Last week, his adopted teenage black son’s rebbe happened to tell the
Shiur a racist joke on a day that his son was not in class. The punch line ended in the word "n....."

The rebbe was from a Yeshivish kehillah. The poster asks, “Is it that racist perspective was so ingrained in the rebbe that he didn't realize that he's poisoning the minds of his son’s peer group to think
less of him?

I think that’s probably right. How sad that a man who is in the noblest of Jewish professions, teaching our children Torah thinks nothing of perpetuating the racist mentality so prevalent in much of the Torah world. Many Orthodox Jews, especially on the East Coast are prejudiced against blacks. And it cuts across the entire demographic of Orthodoxy, from MO to Charedi. This does not of course mean that all O Jews think like this but a significant number do. It is patently wrong.

So the question arises, why is this case? Why is it that this most ethical people who aspire to do the will of God... so easily condescend to fellow human beings without distinguishing their individual merit? The Torah teaches us that each human being is created in the image of God. Why do we treat them with such contempt and ridicule?

There many answers to this question, I think. Some of it has to do with our self identity as the Am Bechira, the chosen people of God. In that sense we see ourselves as superior to all non-Jews. While it is true that we are God’s chosen ones and this is often used as an excuse to denigrate any non- Jew which is equally wrong, that cannot explain why minorities, particularly blacks are singled out for extra ridicule and contempt. But perhaps it is the starting point.

Another reason is the experience of many older Jews in an earlier time who were victimized by black criminals in changing neighborhoods. They then passed on a blanket prejudice to their children. The fact that there is a high incidence of black crime in poor black neighborhoods cannot be denied. There was an incident a few years ago where Jesse Jackson was relieved to see that a person following him at night was white and not black. Even he realized that the percentages of black violent crime is significantly higher than white violent crime.

But that still cannot explain the ridicule of all blacks by Frum Jews. It is one thing to acknowledge that there is a high crime rate amongst blacks. And there are probably a great many reasons why that is so, mostly having to do with a cultural mindset that has evolved and that has been perpetuated ever since the era of slavery. But fairly or not, the culture exists and it is steeped in violence and ignorance where formal education is looked at with disdain in many cases.

But I am getting off track. Statistics about crime rates tells us nothing about the innate qualities if the inner humanity of an individual. Those violent black criminals aren’t born that way. And that is a key point because racism assumes that they are born that way. The truth is that blacks are created B’Tzelem Elokim just like any other human being. There are many Black people who not only have decent values but have risern to great prominence and achievement. The Colin Powells and Condoleeza Rices of the world are proof of that. We do not have the right to think of them any differently than we do of whites. That we do is a condemnation of us, not of them.

And that brings me back to the rebbe and his racist Joke. In his mind, he has done nothing wrong. He was just bonding with his class. Well, maybe he was but at what cost? Not only was this rebbe wrong but he is instilling the same prejudices he has, into his students who look up to him as a role model.

I think it behooves us to take a hard look at what is being taught in the classrooms, not only in the curricular material but in the behavior of the Mechanchim. Children learn more from the behavior of a beloved teacher than they do from the material he teaches. Racism is sometimes part of that mix. I would hate to think that this attitude will forever be perpetuated in our schools by their Mechanchim. The opposite should be happening. We are supposed to be a light unto the nations, not a participant in their folly. We need to teach our children that people should be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin.

Charedi Riots and Charedi Chinuch

I love Ramat Beis Shemesh. My son and his family live there and we stay there every time we visit Israel. Ramat Bet Shemesh is an interesting community. It is a suburb of the city of Bet Shemesh and was built in an area that has natural physical beauty with a gorgeous view of the surrounding mountainous area. The natural beauty of that location is matched by an equally beautiful architectural plan whereby the houses, stores, and synagogues all were built using Jerusalem stone and arranged in the tradition of the best of Suburban America with convenient malls a beautiful park centrally located and the peace and tranquility one might expect in a suburb like this. The developers had planned for it to be an upscale secular city but had a difficult time attracting secular buyers. The city has, however, attracted religious Jews who need more affordable housing than is traditionally available in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak.The result is a burgeoning religious community comprised of religious Jews many of whom are American or at least Anglo... divided between Datim and Charedim with a tilt toward the Charedi side. There are a few secular Jews as well but they are negligible it seems.

But all is not well. From yesterday’s Jerusalem Post:

A family living in Ramat Beit Shemesh has been targeted by a group of haredi extremists in the community who deemed that members of the family were not "religious enough" for its taste, police and the family said Monday.

The family, which is haredi and has lived in the predominantly haredi community for the last six years, has been subject to four nights of protests outside their home.

The target of the demonstrators has been the family's two eldest sons, 22 and 20, who no longer wear haredi garb and are modern Orthodox, the mother of the family said."

“Her two sons were beaten up on the way home Friday night by extremists, who have held a demonstration outside their home every night since then, calling on the family to move out, she said.

After police arrested two haredi protesters who took part in the Sunday night demonstration, hundreds of haredim rioted Monday afternoon on a main road leading into the neighborhood in Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet, setting trash bins on fire and pelting police with stones.


Some have tried to blame the messenger. They have accused the media of presenting a one-sided view. Well, that is a fair accusation because the media does report from a vantage point of bias as reporters are human and bring their prejudices with them when they view events and report on them. Many defenders of the proteters said the two boys were really involved in criminal activity.

The problem is that this has happened before both in Ramat Bet Shemesh and other Charedi cities. There are some people who are self appointed vigilantes who seek to “honor the Torah” by creating a Chilul HaShem. They are not Kannoim but Reshaim... evil people who have nothing better to do with their time and will look for any pretext to cause trouble. This is likely what happened here. It was an opportunity to cause trouble under the guise of religious protest and activism.

Were the two boys who targeted by Charedim really involved in criminal activity? I don’t know, but I doubt it. A poster on the Areivim List who is very Charedi and never misses an opportunity to defend Charedim tells of experiences and put it this way:

This sounds like a bit of a replay of what went on in Beitar for awhile and I can assure you that if the boys were actually doing anything criminal the neighbors most certainly would have involved the police.
What sounds more likely is that the boys were just not frum enough and all attempts to pin something on them to get rid of them had failed and so some people were sent to beat them up and then when those people were [rightly] arrested a riot ensued.

In Beitar a couple of years ago there was an all-out pogrom against all boys of a certain age one Friday night and the mayor of our city had told the police to stay away, which they did, until someone called them in when things got way out of hand. There was a meeting at which a number of community leaders and Rabbonim spoke to several hundred men of the city and got them all riled up and out for blood. When one man
tried to stand up and call for moderation and non-violence they threw him out of the shul the rally was held in. All day long there had been trucks going around blaring the orders of all of the city's rabbonim to attend this rally, so plenty came and they knew what they were there for. For weeks before that, the "powers that be" in Beitar had been flooding the local publications with slander against teenage boys, who they attributed all sorts of crimes and other nefarious doings to that later turned out to be either made up completely or done mostly by adults trying to make the city's kids look bad.

The pogromers were mostly chassidim, but there were a good number of
Litvaks in there too. They were using iron bars to smash heads in and
one of them ripped a potted tree out by the roots [Remember, this was
Shabbos] to try to smash in the windows of the police station where the police had taken two boys to protect them from being murdered by the enraged mob. Now, except for one or two brats, NONE of these boys had been involved in criminal activity of any sort nor did they intend to be. At one house, a boy was home with his family that some people didn’t like and so they tried to smash their way into his building to lynch him and his ill mother and the other women of his family were standing at the glass door of their building screaming and piling their furniture up against the door to try to keep the mob at bay...


Remember, this is a very Charedi individual.

And this brings me back to the incident in Ramat Bet Shemesh. Any community which tolerates such activity is in effect promoting it. These rioters think they are God’s soldiers. Who puts these ideas in their heads? Why do they think a Charedi becoming modern orthodox is worth of such retribution... and are worthy of expulsion from a neighborhood?

Of course all of Chardei leadership would condemn those rioters (at least I hope that is the case). But some of them will just as easily rationalize it... almost excusing and nearly justifying it as understandable.

Certainly the rioters are to be judged as individuals. I am a big fan of individual responsibility and not blaming the entire community for the actions of a few. But one cannot ignore the Chinuch that they must be getting. They constantly bash Modern Orthodoxy as illigitimate.

Thus, the corrective action lies in the source of the problem, their Chinuch. It is time for Charedim to stop painting DLs (the Modern Orthodox) as evil. This is what they plant in the heads of their Children and students and... you reap what you sow.

The Internet: Part Two

I have been challenged. The gauntlet has been thrown. Jak Black has written a critical post on his own blog saying that that my arguments do little to show enough positive value in the internet to make it worthwhile and asks, “If there isn't that much to gain, and quite a bit to loose, why risk souls for so little?”

I quite understand the Charedi POV. As I said, I agree with them about the dangers. But as I also said the difference between your view and mine is that you don’t think the benefit is worth the risk. I clearly do. You have repeatedly challenged me to come up with examples proving my contention. My response has been along the lines that I believe the benefits to be self evident for anyone who has access to the internet and uses it to any degree at all and I included a semi tongue-in-cheek reference to mapquest as an example. But in point of fact this very small fraction of the advantages of the internet demonstrates its advantages. I didn’t think I would have to explain the obvious but here goes:

Mapquest is the easiest and quickest way to get instruction from anywhere in the US to anywhere in the US. It is done in a matter of moments. You instantly receive detailed and clear step by step instructions of how to do it. A map of the route, the time of travel estimated for the entire trip along with the times estimated for each segment of travel is included as well... ready to print out on one or two sheets of paper.

Of course it is true that one can get instructions from point A to point B in other ways. You can ask the “place” to which you are traveling to give you instructions. You can go to AAA and get a “Triptik” or have it mailed to you. But those are either not consistently reliable, or involve a lot of leg work and/or time and sometimes addtional expense. Asking directions from people who don’t necessarily know how to give them can be quite frustrating to follow and can easily lead to getting lost. This rarely happens with mapquest. With the internet it is virtually instant and indispensable when time is of the essence. If you are behind schedule and need to get to a meeting across town in some location you aren’t familiar with, try following someone’s verbal instructions over the phone without getting lost. You may copy them down wrong or they may have inadvertently given you a wrong instruction (turn right when he meant bear right). With mapquest you have consistently accurate instruction at a moment's notice whenever you need it.

Then there is Daf Yomi. If I want to hear a Shiur on the Daf quickly or at my own pace I can do so at the click of a mouse anywhere in the world in my choice of two versions in English, Yeshivish, French, Yiddish, or Hebrew. Sure... I can take my Gemarah along or my Artscroll but there is nothing like a repeatable Shiur at my own pace. It’s like having a Rebbe traveling along with me wherever I go.

These are just two examples of where it benefits me alone. Multiply this by the outer limits of your imagination and it should be easily understood the number of good websites are nearly immeasurable. Some are more beneficial than others. Some website help you understand a disease that a child, God forbid, might been diagnosed with. True, you can go to a medical library and get the information there. But isn’t clear by now that the internet brings virtually all those resources and infinitely more into your home in a flash, without the need to expend travel time getting there and expend expensive gasoline driving there? The internet is simply the largest database in the world at your fingertips with search engines that makes research near instantaneous. Your argument that there are other ways to get the same inforamtion you can on the internet makes it of little value... is no better than saying that it is of little value flying across the ocean because there are other ways of getting there, or other ways of getting across town without motorized vehicle, or other ways to communicate over long distances without a telephone.

But as I said the internet’s downside is equally as accessible as its upside and the dangers that Charedim talk about are quite real. But to me the advantages of the internet are so great that it is certainly worthwhile having in your home. The dangers are serious and have to be dealt with, but not by banning its use altogether.

And Jak, you do use it. That you concede to the Charedi argument of the evil outweighing the good, therefore it should be banned... and that you are just using it B’Issur is disingenuous. Good people do not do evil things on a regular basis. One may fall victim occasionally to a Taavah but if one continually does something quite regularly it belies the contention that he really thinks he is doing something wrong. You have a blog. You write on it frequently about issues that matter to you, perhaps even giving Mussar in some of your posts. You can’t be doing that and simultaneously think you are doing something wrong.


You then further explain your usage of the internet by saying you have enough strength of character to never access evil sites. As you say:

“ I am a happily married man with a strong foundation in hashkafa, and very deep roots in my world. I do not claim that this is proof against all the ills of the Internet, but it does help to combat most of them.”

This is precisely one of the arguments put forth by Centrists. Thank you for making it. We believe that strength of character means something... and if you have it, then exposure to the internet’s evil sites become drastically reduced. I never accessed a porn site. And I’ll bet you never did either.

To that end, developing character in a child will enable them to make good life choices. It is our obligation as parents to instill those character traits in children by teaching those values. This is done mostly through example or role modeling. A child pays far more attention to what you do than what you say. If he knows that you access the internet or have a blog he will see right through your preaching against it. It will take on the aura of the forbidden fruit and make things even worse for him than if you were consistent about it. The better approach is to grant that the internet does indeed have positive value and that is how you use it. And then see to it that he or she uses it properly and under supervision.

Finally, my original post was generated by a comment made by a commentator on Hirhurim that said the real fear of Charedim is that even with good filters a child will still not be protected from ideas like mine which are not in lock step with their Hashkafa. I think he may be right. It is probably more about keeping their Chinuch pure... Al Taharas Hakodesh... than about dangers which, with some effort can be reasonably controlled. IOW it is about making sure their brains stay completely washed of anything other than Charedi Hashkafos.

The Internet : The Best and Worst of All Worlds

Everything Charedim say is wrong with the internet is true. The internet, as I’m sure anyone reading this blog is aware of is the absolute worst source of pornography in the world. It can be had at an instant, in the privacy of one’s own home with complete ease. There is no censorship on the internet and therefore there is no limit to what people will put on their websites and no limit to anyone accessing it at their pleasure. Pornography in other media always carried a greater risk and has a bit more difficulty in being accessed. Magazines can be discovered, Movies are public and to some degree regulated. Broadcast TV is censored and Cable can be controlled by not buying into pornographic sites or by locking out certain channels. But internet porn can be accessed in an instant and just as quickly deleted from the screen. The dangers about internet porn have been discussed by many publications and it is not my intention to do so here. I just wanted to add my agreement with the Charedi world about the real dangers.

The problem with the Charedi solution is the same problem that affects their solution to everything. If there is even the slightest danger of bringing a taint into the home, it is to be banned... eliminated from their world completely. The argument goes... that no matter what the benefit, it is not worth the risk.

The problem with this philosophy is that the baby must be destroyed right along with the bathwater. The internet is not ...ALL... evil. The benefits are so enormous that only a complete fool would say otherwise. The benefits of the internet are as good as the evil on it... is bad. To eliminate this valuable resource by banning it is to eliminate all that potential benefit as well. And this is precisely the point of departure between Charedim and Centrists. Centrists do not ban anything that has potential good in it. We rather find ways to control it so that the benefits are maximized and the evil minimized. Is it foolproof? No. But it is better than advancing ignorance, in my view.

But, as one commentator on Rabbi Gil Student's blog Hirhurim indicated today, the Charedi concern is more about ideas than it is about porn. They fear ideas. Porn can get filtered out and combined with a good parenting policy will do a good job of retaining the benefits while minimizing the detriments. But ideas, which are contained in Blogs such as this one cannot be filtered out.

Charedim are isolationists B'Shitah and as much as they are concerned with the real dangers of porn, they are more concerned with “wrong” ideas being picked up by their Charedi constituency. They will not take a chance on the real world because God, forbid a stray non-Charedi viewpoint might be accepted by a Charedi. They therefore prefer to live B'Chadrei Chadorim so as to minimize if not completely eliminate any potential contact with a Hashkafa that is not in lock-step with theirs.

We who are in the "Center" believe we should hear all Hashkafos and then use our God given minds to decide what makes the most sense to us. Nor do we fear encountering possible Apikursus because we are firmly grounded in our Hashkafos.

For those who beliefs are weak, we have to ask our selves why that is the case. What did they lack in their Torah education that raised such doubts? They perhaps should not be exposed to streams of thought that may push them over the edge. But that should not prevent the rest of us from reading views that are different from our own. Besides, there are always going to be doubters that are easily influenced away from a Torah Hashkafa. They don't need the internet. They will find their way to Apikursus just fine, as they have long before the internet was invented. But none of this means that those of us who are strong in our Hashkafos should be denied learning about other Hashkafic views... even Charedi ones.

Gedolim: Do They Inspire Us?

Today on Rabbi Bechhofer’s blog, Rabbi Aaron Berger writes about the value of our Mesorah and the inspirational role model figures, the Gedolei Hador who lived and breathed that Mesorah. I agree that that generation of Gedolim was every bit as inspiring as Rabbi Berger says. All of those he mentions, no matter how diverse, were as L'Shma as any human being could get. In fact, there are a great many others that could easily be placed on that list, far too numerous to mention. These were truly inspiring figures.

But that is not true today. Today's group of “Gedolim” is far less inspiring in my view. I leave out R. Elyashiv from today’s group as he really belongs to the previous generation and I believe he is as un-agendized as any of the other Gedolim you mention.

My quarrel is with some of those who are today considered Gedolim or near Gedolim... I do not think one can look at their behavior as exemplifying our Mesorah. Those Gedolim have become far more politicized and have agendas. And don't mind asserting them to the exclusion of all others. It is not about promoting a Mesroah learned from a father or a Rebbe. It is about promoting an agenda. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with promoting an agenda... why should there be if you really believe in it. But it is the manner in which they pursue that agenda that is problematic and detracts greatly from them as Gedolim. Now I’m sure that there are exceptions but they are not “running the show”. Those that do, have a “Take no prisoners/shoot to kill” approach.

To further those agendas they will smear people without regard to the personal consequences of those they smear as was the case recently when one such individual called Rabbi Nosson Slifkin a Rasha. They rationalize such behavior by saying pursuing Emes or Kavod HaTorah demands it. Condemning Nosson Slifkin carries with it the condemnation of tens of thousands of Ehrliche Jews with similar views who are then painted with the same brush.

R. Nosson Kaminetsky’s long term magnum opus is banned and his reputation ruined.

R. Elyashiv who Paskin’d L’Kula on a gravesite issue was publicly denigrated in a Shiur by a man half his age, R Avrahom Yehoshua Soloveitchik. And this led to a huge Chilul HaShem when some over-zealous students pelted him with some rotten tomatoes (or some such act) in the public square.

Furthermore today’s “Gedolim” do little if anything to stem the excessive obsession with Chumros in Klal Yisroel. In fact the opposite is true. Rarely do they see a Chumra they don’t like. Today’s Gedolim seem to concentrate far too much on the Chitzonius of the black hat granting it near equal status with Pnimius of what should be under that hat. Legitimate Kulos such as mixed seating at weddings that previous generations of Gedolim were not Makpid on are today highly denigrated. Yet every Litvishe Gadol of previous generations sat mixed, together with their wives at weddings.

So, I’m sorry, I cannot look to many of the current names touted as Gedolim or near Gedloim for inspiration. They haven’t earned it.

The Circumcision Controversy

There is a controversy raging in New York currently about an ancient procedure performed at a Bris (circumcision) called Metzitza, or more correctly Metzitza B’Peh. Metzitza B’Peh is performed by the Mohel after the foreskin is removed. The Mohel sucks the blood by mouth out of the area where the foreskin was cut.

A few months ago an experienced Mohel who has performed hundreds of circumcisions had apparently transferred some viral material from a Herpes cold sore after which that child subsequently died. Although there are some who dispute linking the baby’s death to the Mohel claiming that there is no hard evidence, it does seem to be likely. This has resulted in great controversy about whether this portion of the circumcision should be performed at all. The New York Health commissioner made a strong appeal to the Charedi community to stop this dangerous procedure just short of threatening to outlaw it which would raise church state issues.

The result was a massive outcry by the Charedi community equating the health commissioner and an American governmental body to the worst in Czarist Russia... calling it a time of Shmad (forced conversions) when the governmental goal was to convert the Jews.

This is a ridiculous charge on the face of it. There is absolutely no comparison between what the New York health department was trying to do and what Czar tried to do to the Jews of Russia. In the New York case the motivation was to protect its citizens from danger. In the Czar’s case it was to ultimately convert the Jews to Christianity.

The question must be asked as to why Charedim feel so strongly about this. Why the histrionics? After all the procedure in question is not part of the Bris Milah itself anyway. The Gemarah which addresses Metzitza B’Peh speaks in terms of Sakana... danger to the life of the infant and does not characterize it as a part of the circumcision itself. Metzitza is required only as a health related measure. A Bris without Metzitza, although required by Halacha, is still a valid Bris.

I suppose the reason Charedim feel this way is they fear interference. They believe that any interference in any part of Halacha no matter how small needs to be vigorously combated. But is Metzitza B’Peh a requirement in its current form? This too is a matter of dispute in Halacha... because there are legitimate ways to fulfill the Halachic health related requirement of MeTzitza... a way which does not require direct contact with the mouth of the Mohel. It can be done with a pipette a straw like instrument that sucks that blood out, eliminating direct contact by mouth. This is quite a common procedure done by many, perhaps even most Mohalim. It is far more hygienic and certainly well within the parameters of New York City’s health requirements.

None the less Charedim might argue that they want to be Machmir. They claim that Charedi Poskim require it be done by direct suction of the mouth. But I question the validity of that assertion in light of the following.

I spoke to a Mohel today that never does Metzitza B’Peh. He mentioned that he had discussed the issue with Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik who told him the following: During the time of his illustrious grandfather Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik when he was the Rav in Brisk, there was a certain Mohel who had a sore on his lip and performed a Bris Mila using his mouth for Metzitza. The child subsequently died. Reb Chaim immediately Assur’d Metziza B’Peh in Brisk. It never took place there again. The Mohel had this story confirmed by Rabbi Gedalia Schwartz, Av Beis Din of the RCA who knew another grandson of Reb Chaim, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik who had told Rabbi Schwartz the same exact story many years before. Two people each with independent testimony of the Psak of their grandfather, the great Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik Assuring Metzitza B’Peh.

So I ask: Why do Charedim continue to insist on this dangerous procedure? Isn’t the fact that there have been deaths that apparently resulted from Metzitza B’Peh enough reason to stop it? It should seem obvious to anyone that infectious diseases can be easily passed to a newborn infant through direct contact with an infected mouth. How conclusive must the evidence be before they will concede to the danger? Why must they insist on this procedure with a near hysterical attack on the New York City Heath Department accusing them of Czar-like tactics? How many deaths do they need before they see the benefit of not exposing a newborn infant to Herpes and other infectious diseases transmitted by a Mohel who may not even be aware that he has a viral or bacterial infection?

Even if the risk is minimal which statistically may be true, why have it at all if it can be avoided? Isn’t the Psak of R. Chaim Brisker enough? I should think that being Machmir on Pikuach Nefesh outweighs being Machmir on Metzitza B’Peh, shouldn’t it?

Redefining Who is Frum

Rabbi Emanuel Feldman has written a wonderful article in Cross-Currents (this is getting to be a habit) about the way in which all Israelis have been praying for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s health and raises some interesting things to reflect upon. Should a person who is not considered religious by Orthodox standards, never-the-less still be considered religious? Orthodoxy generally considers one who does not observe the Sabbath laws as not being religious. But is it so? Can a secular Jew call himself, religious? Are Israelis after all is said and done a mostly religious people... in spite of the fact that their secular non-observant lifestyle would indicate they aren’t? I believe that Rabbi Feldman comes to the conclusion that they are. And I agree.

And that should be enough in my opinion to bridge the religious-secular gap that is the source of so much enmity between these two groups. The religious world, primarily the Charedi portion of it has always maintained a careful distance from the secular world. They live insular lifestyles so as not to be influenced by the ways of the secular. This causes the two groups to really not know much about the other and each thinks the other is out to “get” them.

The secular Israelis are always complaining that the religious are out to coerce them into Halachic observance against their wills which would prevent them the freedom to live as they choose. For their part, the religious think that the secular Israeli is out to destroy Torah through his decadent lifestyle and his refusal to recognize, respect, and support Torah institutions.

But it isn’t really true. While Israel does have its share of anti Torah citizens, it seems to me that the majority of secular Israelis do believe in God and do pray to him as Rabbi Feldman demonstrates in his article. It might therefore also be true about other faulty assumptions made by Charedim about Chilonim. Not all secular Israelis are degenerate. Not all non observant Jews want to bring down the Torah. Not all secular Jews avoid all religious rituals or holidays. The opposite is true. I would say that most Jews in Israel are religious to one degree or another, even if they are not Sabbath observers.

What we have to do is redefine the word “religious”. We cannot really get any understanding of the world of the secular Jew in Israel if we draw such a sharp dividing line between religious and irreligious. Sabbath observance can no longer be the wall that divides us. We cannot afford to continue isolating ourselves from our neighbors... our brothers. This will only keep us down the path of increasing resentment and enmity. We need to understand that we are all in the same boat. We are all believers and children of believers. No one has a free pass to heaven. Although we all are born with a share in the world to come, we may just not all get there. Shmiras Shabbos is not the only Mitzva and lack of Sabbath observance is not the only Aveirah.

Sefardim understand this. Their social world includs all levels of observance, Shomer Shabbos or not. They all go to the same Shul and the same rabbi. There are no denominations. Everyone is accepting and non judgmental. We can learn a lot form our Sefardi brothers and sisters.

It’s time the Charedi community had a Cheshbon Hanefesh. It’s time we stopped worrying so much about being contaminated by secular society and trust our own Chinuch enough to embrace our secular brothers with the warm embrace of non-judgmental love and understand that they too are religious... in their own way. It can only lead to a better world for all.

In Defense of the Scientific Study of the Origin of the Species

I find myself once again responding to an article on Cross-Currents. Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblum posts a rather lengthy dissertation originally published in HaModia about Darwinism where he tries to make the point that Darwinian scientists have a pre-existing bias to promote the theory of evolution as guided exclusively by random natural selection... and that they reject any evidence that would support other legitimate theories. In the course of his a thesis he posits that scientists unfairly exclude all non-natural causes of our existence as a priori inadmissible. I disagree.

As an Orthodox Jew who believes in creatio ex nihilo, I never the less find myself in the uncomfortable position of defending a scientific approach which does not consider the concept of a supernatural Creator. Not because I adhere to science as more legitimate than Torah, God forbid, but because of an inherent objectivity that defines the discipline, if not necessarily the scientist who studies it.

First let me say that for many of the reasons mentioned by Rabbi Rosenblum, I too believe that an unguided random natural selection process does not satisfactorily explain the origin of the species. As to whether there was an evolutionary process that determined speciation, that is an open question in my mind. But whether such a process was by the “Intelligent Design” of a Creator is beyond the scope of science.

I therefore cannot accept the idea that it is disingenuous to exclude all non-natural causes as a priori inadmissible as Rabbi Rosenblum seems to suggest. Science by definition is the study of the natural, not the supernatural. The implication of rejecting non-natural causes as a priori inadmissible is that one is blinding oneself to a more reasonable explanation of existence. But that is not so. Scientists would correctly maintain that they are simply looking for physical data in a physical universe. To look for spiritual data in the physical universe is an impossibility. There are no instruments to measure spirituality. So they do not look for those kinds of solutions to problems as they have no way of testing such hypotheses.

This of course does not mean that one cannot have the conviction that God created the universe. One can indeed have such convictions; believe them with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, as I do. But such a belief is not provable in a scientific context and hence is not a valid consideration of science.

Jack Abramoff, Baal Teshuva

The saga continues. We are far from seeing an end to the Jack Abramoff story. In fact it is probably just beginning. He made the cover of Time magazine and his Orthodoxy is mentioned. The fact that he is a Shomer Shabbos Jew makes this story compelling for all who care about the honor of Torah. There has already been much ink spilled in the Orthodox media ...everything from breast beating apologetics to separating Torah observance from his actions. I’m sure every Orthodox pundit either had or will have something to say about it... probably many times as this saga unfolds. I already have and now, I say more. We have only scratched the surface it seems.

Cross-Currents, one of the better blogs which boasts world class authors, writers and thinkers of Orthodoxy has had several essays about the fact that Mr. Abramoff is a Baal Teshuva, a man who was raised in a secular home and then became observant. He did so as a young adult, in his early twenties. I responded in the commentary section of Cross-Currents and believe that my thoughts are worthy of an entry on my own blog. So... here are my thoughts.

Baalei Teshuva (BT) are in a class by themselves. They are far more elevated than those of us who are FFB (Frum from birth...born to religious family and raised that way). Those of us who are FFB often take our observance for granted. We do not usually think about the larger questions in life. Many are observant out of rote habit. It is relatively easy for us. In most cases, we were never seriously tempted by the “forbidden fruit” offered by general culture. BT’s came to Torah observance through a search for truth. And it is not a move easily made. To change from a lifestyle of complete freedom to do as one pleases and accept the Ol Malchus Shamayim ( Torah Law) is to make a conscious decision to deny pleasures that one has gotten quite used to in life and not so easily abandoned. By doing so they have given up more than a FFB could ever really appreciate. And they do so through conviction... because they have found Emes. I stand in awe of anyone who has done that.

This is what makes the Jack Abramoff case so perplexing. How can someone who sought to find ultimate truths, found them in the Torah which contains the ultimate expression of ethics and then do the kinds of things he has pleaded guilty to in court? How can one give up on the pleasures of complete and unfettered freedom of non Torah observance seeking and then finding the highest of ethical values, do such unethical things? What kind of person has so much disdain for his fellow human beings, the Native Americans created in the image of God? They trusted him, and that trust was based on the belief that Orthodox Jews behave in ethical ways! How could he not realize the massive Chilul Hashem he was making? MAASIVE!

It makes no sense

Yeshiva University and the Move to the Right

The move to the right is a pretty well accepted fact of life in the Torah world. The fact is that this phenomenon has infected even the hallowed halls of Yeshiva University. Charedi artifacts such as black hats that have become quite common there certainly indicate a trend.

While the school’s official policies are Centrist, the fact is that many students within that bastion of modern orthodoxy have abandoned or even disdain that tradition and have adopted some of the modalities, attitudes, and Chumros of the right. Based on conversations I have had with students, I suspect that part of it can be blamed on the existence of a sort of fifth column there in the form of a few Rabbeim who freely albeit clandestinely preach against the school. In my view this should not be over-looked by the administration and should be dealt with through disciplinary measures.

This does not mean that I think there shouldn’t be independent voices there. The spirit of academic freedom should extend to the Roshei Yeshiva as well as university professors and if they disagree with policy they should have the freedom to say so. But encouraging students to leave crosses a line. I can’t say it exists there for a certainty, but if it does, it requires corrective action, in my view.

It is distressing to talk to YU students and hear them apologize for attending YU. In some cases, as I said, they are motivated to transfer to Charedi Yeshivos ranging anywhere from Ner Israel to Lakewood.

This phenomenon didn’t start yesterday. It has been on going for quite some time now. I know several YU Musmachim in their 50s and 60’s who actually hide the fact that they went to YU. Why are they so ashamed of it? They are as much to blame for YU being perceived as second rate as its worst detractors. Instead of hiding their YU connection they should be wearing the label proudly. These people learned from the likes of RYBS, Rav Dovid Lipshitz and many other Gedolim. Instead they hide it. That is shameful. Certainly they can and eve should speak out about things which distress them in YU but to hide the fact they attended says more about them than it does about YU.

But of course the most shameful of all is the way some current or recently deceased Charedi Roshei Yeshiva who attended YU so easily and so loudly condemn YU whenever they get the chance. The best known of these “reformed” YU students is Rabbi Chaim D. Keller, the Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe Chicago. He does not waste an opportunity to bash his alma Mater. But he isn’t the only one. He is only the most vocal and the most openly proud of his anti YU position. There is no zealot like a reformed one. They keep trying to prove themselves. I guess Rabbi Keller is no exception.

It is time for those YU students who care about Centrism, whether currently attending or alumni to stand up, speak out, and take it back from the right.

Defining Morality -The Meaning of Marriage in a Free Society

This week begins the senate hearing on the confirmation of Judge Alito, a political conservative who is also a religious man. In a previous essay I discussed why it was important to look at how Judaism views the issue of abortion. I now turn to the issue of homosexual marriage. This is an issue which may ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.

Should this great nation with unparalleled freedom recognize gay marriage on par with heterosexual marriage? How should Torah Jewry view it and how should we express it as American citizens?

There are two conflicting principles here:

1. The Judeo-Christian ethic that defines the moral character of our founding fathers and the vast majority of our nation, thereby defining those who commit homosexual acts as immoral.

2. Democracy’s imperative to protect the rights of any identifiable group to be free to practice any and all behaviors as long as those behaviors do no individual or communal harm... and leave any moral issues behind the church door.

In a free non-sectarian society where religious doctrines are not a part of that society’s charter it behooves the government to protect the rights of the non-religious minority against the tyranny of the religious majority whose guiding principles are governed by religious doctrine. This argues for a granting of all rights to a gay population which arguably does not harm the majority through their practices.

However, any nation which claims to have concepts of morality cannot divorce itself from their religious origins no matter how much they claim to be a moral nation without it. Morality cannot be relative, for then it loses all real meaning and becomes simply a whim of the times... the so called zeitgeist which is fickle at best and can become evil at worst.

The question then becomes, do we sacrifice absolutist concepts of democracy in order to maintain the moral teachings of the Judeo-Christian heritage? Or do we ignore that religious heritage on the alter of complete and unfettered freedom at any cost?

What might that cost be? It is nothing short of the decay and the ultimate destruction of civilization as we know it. Because once relativism takes hold as the definitive morality of a free society then nothing but a whimsical public that is strongly influenced by a powerful entertainment industry will begin to accept any and all of even the most debauched of behavior.

It is this industry honed in a kind of humanistic relativism, driven mostly by a profit motive... combined with a large portion of the public whose insatiable appetite for pornography is demonstrated by the virtual explosion of available pornography and its relatively easy access, that can and will lead America down a path of moral decay.

Hollywood constantly pushes the envelope of what is considered acceptable sexual behavior. Now Homosexuality is the big issue. And there has never been a movie so stridently pushing the envelope of acceptabily than the critically acclaimed, "Brokeback Mountain". Can bestiality, incest, and pedophilia be far behind? These immoral behaviors can eventually become as acceptable as apple pie if the slippery slope continues. Is this what we want for our county’s future? I hope not.


It, therefore, becomes necessary to choose the absolute morality as defined in the Judeo-Christian ethic over the complete freedom of an unfettered free democracy and not accept gay marriage as equal to heterosexual marriage. To equalize homosexual marriage with heterosexual marriage could take us down the slippery slope of societal suicide.

I don’t know if the Supreme Court can decide issues of morality. Perhaps in a democracy like ours the courts have no jurisdiction to do so and can in fact prevent congress from legislating against immorality. I don’t know. But it is good to know that a man like Judge Alito is there who understands what is at stake.

The State of the Union: Torah Jewry at Risk

I appreciate Rav Joey Fried's lengthy post describing the state of affairs WRT to Rav Shlomo Miller. It was quite enlightening perspective as to what is goiing on in Toronto.

I do not know what to think at this point. On the one hand my profound respect for Rabbi Bechofffer nudges me to be a bit less dismissive of RSM.. On the other hand, I cannot ignore what I believe to be the case which was so well buttressed by R. Joey.

One thing seems certain. The controversy is far from over. Just when you think it is safe to go out in the street again along comes a "major name" in the Torah world and tries to kick me and those who think like me back into the nether world of K'fira.

I don't know where all this is going to lead. Despite my great disagreement with Ner Yisroel Rosh HaYeshiva, Rabbi Aharon Feldman, whose perspective mirrors that of Rabbi Miller's, I agree with him about one thing. This entire event has done an incredible amount of damage to Kavod HaTorah.

The question remains, whose fault is it and what can be done to correct things? I don’t have any answers but I do have some observations.

The current climate in Klal Yisroel is one of stridency, extremes, and polarization. The more the Torah world grows in numbers the more divided we seem to get. We have devolved into groups with unique agendas that do not necessarily benefit Klal Yisroel as a whole but in some instances at least, are designed to protect turf. And that's the best one can say about it. In some cases the motivations are personal advancement at the expense of others.

The malaise I speak of is not limited to one group. It involves Modern Orthodox extremists on the left, Religious Zionist extremists, Chasidic extremists the worst of which is Neturei Karta, Kachniks, Messianist Lubavitchers, and the world of RW Yeshivos which I usually refer to as Charedim.

Since I believe that the Charedi system holds the key to our future for many reasons, which I do not really want to get into here, I will concentrate on this group.

There is something inherently wrong with a system that is increasingly becoming isolated and encourages its adherents to go to great lengths to insure that isolation. While at the same time undergoing a process I call Chasidization: the idea that a Gadol or Rosh Yeshiva, has taken on the Aura of Chasidic Rebbe. There is virtually no difference anymore.

Daas Torah is now seen as whatever a Gadol or group of Gedolim say it is, no matter what the subject. A defacto degree of infallibility has been vested in them by their flock. And they do little to discourage it. In fact the opposite is true. The motto of Agudah could be stated as the following: “What ever the Gedolim say is our view and no member can disagree”. They have become the final arbiter of the word of God on any and all subjects. No longer can anyone question any pronouncements no matter the subject... whether it be politcal, Hashkafic, or seemingly insignificant. Evidence to the contrary is dismissed as are serious counter claims. Those who do disagree, risk losing their Olam HaBa. This is their fervent belief.

Ruach HaKodesh is vested in these people by their adherents making it impossible to question their pronouncements. This phenomenon is quite illustrative with respect to Rabbi Miller as Reb Joey shows us. Rabbi Miller’s defenders are near apoplectic in his defense as though it were God himself being attacked by those of us who disagree with him.

So there you have it. The goal of the Chadredi world was to preserve Torah learning and combat the assimilationist trends that pull Jews away from Torah observance. They have succeeded. They have insured Jewish survival. But at what cost? If the price of survival is to give up our intellect, retreat from the world and live in caves, than I don’t think Judaism can ultimately survive.

One thing is certain. God promised us we would survive and be worthy of redemption, so there must be an answer. I just don’t see it.

The proverbial pendulum seems to be swinging ever more rightward toward oblivion.

Shlomo Miller and Nosson Slifkin

I had an opportunity over Shabbos to read a letter in the Yated (actually a printout of an opinion piece from the Yated internet site thinly disguised with the pseudonym, “Dei’ah veDibur”) written by Rabbi Shlomo Miller the rosh kollel and av beis din of the Kollel Avreichim of Toronto. The letter was written in Hebrew and translated by Rabbi Simcha Coffer, a protégé.

There has been much debate in a private e-mails and on various internet lists and blogs between Rabbi Coffer who defends Rabbi Miller and advocates his views, and other people of significant stature and knowledge on the subject who disagree with him. The point of Rabbi Miller’s letter is to show Rabbi Nosson to be a heretic. (Actually he say Rabbi Slifkin’s views are heresy, not that Rabbi Slkfikin is a heritic, a distinction without a difference, as far as I am concerened) and then cites various sources to try and back up what he says.

For those who don’t know, three of Rabbi Slifkin’s books were deemed as espousing heresy and banned by R. Elyashiv, whom many consider the Gadol HaDor. Those books essentially maintained a variation of views that were well within the mainstream of Jewish thought although not universally accepted. The two biggest objections cited at the time of the ban by some of those who signed it were that,

1) He claimed the six days of creation must have been allegorical and not literal since there was so much scientific evidence stating the world was much older. He cited Rishonim and Achronim that seemed to corroborate an old earth view.

2) He said that although Chazal were brilliant and in matters of Halacha and we areto consider their laws inviolable, never the less in matters of science they were clearly mistaken and simply were only knowledgable of the science of their time. This too was considered mainstream but was not the majority view. He brought proofs for this as well.

One can debate whether his approach is correct or not or whether his proofs are accurate, but no one ever spoke of such views as K’fira until the ban.

Back to Rabbi Miller.

I don’t know Rabbi Miller, I am told that he is a big Talmud Chacham. This may be so. But he is not a Gadol any more than are the Askanim who are responsible for the ban on Nosson’s books. He is entitled to his view but it should be taken in the context of his stature in Klal Yisroel, which is not very great. Although he is... trying.

In my view this is about Rabbi Miller establishing his Bona Fides as a card carrying member or the most extreme elements within the Charedi establishment. The primary point of his letter was to rubber stamp the views coming out of Jerusalem that Nosson Slifkin believes in K'fira. This was his staring point. This was his conclusion.

After I finished reading Rabbi Miller’s letter, I looked up the Gemarah he quoted in Chaggiga 12A and there was nothing even remotely resembling what Rabbi Miller says is there: that all of the laws of physics which prevail today were first established at the end of the Six Days of Creation when Hashem terminated the creative process as represented by Shabbos when, "He said to His world, enough" ...

It is just his own assertion and/or interpretation of a lengthy discussion about the Sheshes Yimei Breishis.

The fact is that both the OU and Agudah have recently come out with
statements which, based on this letter, Rabbi Miller would say is
K’fira shows exactly what the purpose of his letter is. His only
interest appears to be that he be viewed to be on the same page as
that of others on the extreme right who have nothing better to do
than put people in Cherem.

I have no respect for that. Just because someone is a major Talmid
Chacham and pretends to know the relevant science does not make him a
Gadol.

I suggests no one pay any attention to what comes out of Toronto.

HM

Divine Retribution

Famed Evangelist Pat Robertson has now joined that unique and rarified atmosphere reserved for those with Ruach HaKodesh. He has proclaimed that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is being punished for giving away parts of Eretz Yisroel.

Hmmmm. Where have I heard that before... Oh, I remember now. It was quite a popular refrain by certain RZ Rabbanim during the Gaza pullout. In fact in one rather bizarre case a group of these Rabbanim participated in some kind of Kabalistic ritual that prayed for his pre-mature death.

But he is not the only one with Ruach HaKodesh in this regard. Many Gedolei Yisroel have used similar rhetoric in explaining natural disasters like Katrina and the Tsunami.

Of course when they were asked about it they all explained away what they said, including Reverend Robertson. In the case of the Gedolim it wasn’t that they were claiming to know God’s mind. It was just that they were trying to gain a lesson from it. In the case of Robertson, it was just that he was quoting the bible about God’s attitude with respect too Eretz Yisroel.

Well, that may be true in each case but I find it inappropriate at best to speculate about these things in the midst of a crisis. All of these pronouncements were made while people were is dire circumstances. Furthermore such statements are often made without explanations which only come after they are asked about it. To publicly say that the people going through the horrors of tragedy that “It isn’t about them... it is about us” is to de-humanize the victims. It is to turn them into the objects of a lesson or nothing more than a message from God. Very inappropriate.

And to make these kinds of statements without immediate explanations is to allow for misinterpretation by the masses at whom they are directed. They can easily say, “If a Gadol says it happened because of X, then who am I to say it didn’t?” In other words they don’t see it as a lesson to be learned but as a reason it happened... that there is some sort of Ruach HaKodesh assessing blame.

It behooves anyone in a position of leadership to think before they speak. EzeHu Chacham? HaRoeah Es HaNolad.