Gust Post by Rabbi Shalom Gold
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| Rabbi Shalom Gold |
His dressing down of Barry on the Herzl "prophecy"
statement was unbecoming. It is clear to any fair-minded person that Barry was
stating the obvious. Herzl's vision, dream, hope of a Jewish state, his
creating the organization to carry it out, his bearing as a statesman who was
welcomed in the highest level of European aristocracy and his precise
prediction that in fifty years there will be a state, is nothing short of
awesome.
He saw what no one else was capable of seeing. The only one
who came close was Rav Kook who, in 1907, wrote a masterful near-prophetic (I
am being very careful with the "p" word) call to Eretz Yisroel where
he predicted with uncanny accuracy what would happen to European Jewry, and
pleaded with them to come to Eretz Yisroel.
Rav Moshe Feinstein finds no fault with salvation that
comes through the non-observant, non-religious, etc. Don't tell Hashem who He
should choose to do His bidding.
Rabbi Ginsburg, your question to Barry whether he or
his friends "feel the same giyul nefesh when they hear
chareidim called parasites, et." Is completely irrelevant. We are deeply
hurt when those we feel closest to spew forth an ongoing torrent of hatred –
didn't you get that? We expect Torah Jews to be examples of ahavat Yisroel –
not the purveyors for 65 years now with certainly no let up in sight of gross
and crass ugly criticism. They have always found fault with the State.
Rabbi Ginzberg, your swipe at Barry about Satmar
raises a question that has troubled me for the longest time. Even a brief
perusal of the Rebbe's seforim makes it quite clear that he believes that
anyone who participates in the Israel government, voting, etc., transgresses
many sins of the most serious order yehoreg v'alyaavor. He repeats it time and
time again.
Time out for a relevant story.
I arrived in Eretz Yisroel for the first time toward
the end of June 1955 on board an Italian liner called The Messapia. I was
part of a group of Torah Vodaas bochrim (I personally was then already in Ner
Yisroel) that included Nosson Scherman, Joey Weinstien, Yankel Goldberg, Chaim
Liebel, Arum Landesman – did I get it right? The memory ain't what it used to
be.
On the boat was the Satmar Rebbe and an entourage on the way
to campaign against voting in elections to be held that summer. Reb Aharon also
came to Eretz Yisroel and barnstormed the country, exhorting all to go vote. I
can see him now from a balcony in Mea She'arim, crying out "men darf vuten
gummel-daled," time and time again. The letters represented Agudah and
Po'alei Agudah that ran as one party.
The Rebbe makes it clear that voting or urging people to vote or in any way be involved with the government is a certified apikoras, kofer beikar, min and the like. The Rebbe thus accuses all the Gedolei Yisroel of the last 65 years of being the lowest of the low. Now Barry didn't say anything like that. I would have expected Lakewood to dump the Rebbe's seforim in the closest body of water, ban the Rebbe's seforim, and stand up for the honor of all Gedolei Yisroel. The Rebbe's sefer could be entitled, "The Unmaking of all Gedolei Torah."
It mystifies me why didn't the whole chareidi, Torahdik,
yeshiva community stand up and roar in defiance against Satmar blasphemy. Yet
you write so respectfully about "'the shita'" that is based on a
comprehensive and deep understanding of Torah." Your words. I am certain
that the Ribboneh Shel Olom has "paskened" not like Satmar. His shita
was grossly mistaken. Rabbi Ginzberg, don't fly off the handle. I can prove it.
But that's not for now.
I have only one further observation to make at this point. The
Chareidi community:
1. despises
the national anthem (the drunk author);
2. has no use for
the flag. "A shmmateh on a shteken" (translation, a rag on a stick);
3. doesn't pray for
the State;
4. nor for the
soldiers who defend them;
5. does not
celebrate Yom Haatzmaut;
6. does not
celebrate Yom Yerushalayim;
7. does not go to
the army;
8. spews forth
hatred (a grandson came home from yeshiva ketaneh relating that his rebbe told
the class, "The worst thing that happened since Creation is the
establishment of the State of Israel (you have to let that be absorbed in your
kishkut).
9. considers Yom
HaShoah and the siren anathema;
10. pays no attention to the
two minutes of silence on Yom Hazikaron.
Now look again at this composite picture of chareidi
conduct. Rabbi Ginzberg will certainly explain, justify, find solid sources for
every one of those positions. But one question about the total picture. Who else
agrees and embraces all the above? The answer is obvious and should shake
chareidi society to the core.
The Israeli Arabs and the post-Zionist Left. Not such pretty
bedfellows. That should set off warning bells that you think you're right. You
can explain everything, yet you remain dead wrong. It is now fifty years since
I experienced Barry's "guyel nefesh" absolute disgust with the
constant fault-finding and bashing the State that I consciously dropped out of
chareidi hashkofoh and never looked back.
Jews have always been loyal citizens in all the lands
of their dispersion except in their own country. If you would have pulled this
shtik in Czarist Russia, in Cossack Ukraine, in the Germanic states, Poland,
they would have expelled you, shot you, burned you at the stake. But in your
own country you are big heroes because you know these wicked Zionists won't do
those things, and their soldiers will protect you. You spit at the state but
you demand that the State support your lifestyle – what chutzpah!
I will rest my case until round two.
Sholom Gold
Har Nof, Yerushalayim
P.S. In 1955 Rav Shach took me into Ponevez Yeshiva and had
me sit near him for a whole zeman. That tidbit is just to establish a little
credibility. I was also Barry's Rabbi in West Hempstead before I went on
Aliyah. Please don't hold that against him.
