I’m tired of it! Once again a Frum public figure is making the front pages of a newspaper. He is about to be indicted for sex crimes. This time it is the President of Israel. He hasn’t been indicted yet but it seems the evidence is pretty strong. I hope that it is all untrue and that the President of Israel will be exonerated. And that al the accusations will be proven false. But there just seems to be too many allegations by too many people. We will have to wait and see. But in the meantime it does not look good for the President.
It seems like only yesterday that many people were saying that Moshe Katzav was making one Kiddush HaShem after another. He is a man who is Shomer Shabbos, Davens every day and is basically of the DL stripe. I felt pride in hearing stories about his public observance of Mitzvos in his role as President of Israel. But this morning on my way home from Shul (as I continue a wonderful Yom Tov with my son and his family in Eretz Yisroel), I picked up a copy of the The Jerusalem Post. I open it up and get “hit” with the front page. In the first column is a story about the President. The opening line:
“Even as President Moshe Katzav readied to welcome guests to his succa during the holiday, he had a few unwelcome guests, as the special police force investigating him put the finishing touches on its final report.”
It goes on to state that the embattled President faces a growing number of allegations ranging from sexual harassment to rape!
The “succa” part was nice and the kind of news that used to give me pride. The President of Israel using a succa, hosting guests there on Sukkos. How wonderful! But… the “rape” part of the story spoiled the “succa” part. As I said, I hope it isn’t true. But if it is, it once again shows that the Torah community is not immune to such behavior.
It is a sickness. And it doesn’t seem to matter how an individual is raised, or what values he is taught. If one has a propensity for sexually aberrant behavior and one is given the opportunity, then acting on such impulses is more likely then one would expect! Examples of such people in such circumstances abound. And as I have said, it cuts across all Hashkafic lines. And, no one should take umbrage that their Hashkafic segment is being singled out. Individuals from all Hashkafos have been in the news that way…unfortunately. What they had in common was the fact that they were religious and that either they were convicted of… or there is ample evidence of sexual misconduct. They had or created opportunity, and they acted upon it.
Only one individual was convicted so far, if I recall correctly. Others, including the President of Israel, will still have their day in court. And I hope that every one of them is innocent and that the allegations prove false. But, I fear that in most cases they will be found guilty.
The problems with these individuals are not that they have abnormal impulses, but that they refuse to control them. They instead choose to act on them. And in many cases they created for themselves…opportunity.
It would behoove all public figures, whether rabbinic or political, who consider themselves Frum and indeed even trumpet that fact, to live transparent lives and never seclude themselves with the objects of their desires. The Halachos of Yichud never made more sense to me than they do right now.
It is said that Billy Graham was never alone in a closed room with a woman other than his own wife. Does it take a non Jewish Evangelical preacher to show us by example how we should conduct ourselves? How embarrassing that some Rabbanim such behavior isn’t part an integral part of their behavior patterns.
In the meantime a tremendous Chilul Hashem is happening once again and it is on the front page of a newspaper. And I am sick of it!
